Vance: Iran must cut nuclear enrichment to end the war, US seeks concrete steps from Tehran

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with Reuters that Iran must make a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to meet U.S. demands and end the seven-month war, even though Washington was unsure how Tehran makes decisions in negotiations.

Vance, an early sceptic of U.S. involvement in foreign wars, has taken a leading role in negotiating a settlement to the conflict and brokered a temporary peace deal in June that quickly failed.

The war has shaken global energy markets and become a political burden for President Donald Trump and other Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Speaking on Monday after a campaign trip to Alaska, Vance said any deal would require Iran to reduce its nuclear enrichment capacity, rather than offer guarantees of reducing nuclear capacity in the future.

“If you don’t want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60% enriched fuel? And if you want to show commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, don’t build highly enriched fuel. This is a very basic threshold issue,” Vance said.

“I think if they want to show a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, they would do something meaningful on their enrichment capacity,” he added.

Iran and the U.S. have exchanged proposals in recent weeks aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy shipping route. Trump rejected Tehran’s latest offer and has warned that military operations could intensify after the midterm elections.

Vance said the U.S. remains open to a deal, but will seek concrete concessions from Iran in the nuclear field.