Vance says Iran must cut nuclear enrichment to end war

US Vice President JD Vance said in an exclusive interview with Reuters that Iran must make a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to meet US demands and end the countries’ seven-month war, while Washington remains uncertain about how decisions are made in Tehran.

Vance, a longtime sceptic of US involvement in foreign wars, has taken a leading role in efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict. He brokered a provisional peace agreement in June, but it quickly collapsed.

The war has disrupted global energy markets and become a political issue for President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Speaking on Monday after a campaign trip to Alaska, Vance said any agreement would require Iran to reduce its nuclear enrichment capacity rather than simply provide assurances that it would do so 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. That's 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.”

Iran and the US 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 midterms.

Vance said Washington remained open to an agreement but would require concrete Iranian nuclear concessions.

“We're not going to trade words for actions,” he said.

Unclear how Iran makes decisions

Vance said negotiations were complicated by uncertainty in Washington over who makes key decisions in Tehran.

He said the US was in talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, but it remained unclear how much authority they wield within Iran’s power structure after joint US-Israeli strikes at the start of the war killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“One of the things we picked up on is it's not totally clear how their country makes decisions,” Vance said.

Separately, Trump said on Tuesday that his “biggest problem” was that no one knows who is running Iran.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Sunday that US officials were well aware of their Iranian counterparts and how Iran’s decision-making system works.

“The problem is actually the opposite: it lies in the contradictory positions and mixed messaging from US officials,” Baghaei told a weekly press conference.

Vance told Reuters that he had held personal conversations with field commanders to assess battlefield conditions. He dismissed concerns over critical munitions shortages and said Iranian forces were periodically able to strike commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz but were largely unable to prevent energy exports through the waterway.

Vance declined to say whether he was leading the peace talks, although he is frequently described as the White House’s top negotiator.

“We're certainly involved,” he said. “Ultimately, the president of the United States is driving things.”

The war, which costs about $3 billion a month, has become a key issue on the campaign trail. Higher energy prices have put Trump and Republicans on the defensive in competitive states that will determine control of Congress.

Vance has sought to temper criticism of Trump’s handling of the conflict, telling voters they should not let the issue prevent them from backing Republicans in next month’s elections.

In Alaska, Vance rallied for Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, who is facing Democratic challenger Mary Peltola in a tight re-election race. Trump carried Alaska by 13 percentage points in 2024, but rising living costs have put the state in play.

Before speaking with Reuters, Vance focused much of his speech on affordability concerns, particularly energy. Alaska’s remote location makes consumer goods more expensive, while energy production is a key industry.

Rally attendees cheered when Sullivan nearly introduced Vance as the president of the US rather than the vice president. Vance is widely viewed as a leading Republican contender to succeed Trump in the White House.

Vance told Reuters afterward that he had not decided whether to seek the presidency in 2028.

“I'm inherently a procrastinator. I really haven't thought about it much,” he said.