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U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Iran must “significantly” reduce its nuclear fuel enrichment capabilities for the seven-month war with Tehran to end.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Vance said any potential agreement must limit Iran’s current capabilities. Promising cuts in the future would not be enough, he said.
“If you don’t want a nuclear weapon, why do you need fuel enriched to 60 percent? We’re not going to trade words for action,” Vance said.
Vance stressed that Washington remained open to negotiations to reach a peace deal. The vice president, regarded as the White House’s lead negotiator, brokered a temporary peace agreement in June, but it fell apart shortly afterward.
Washington unclear on Iran’s decision-making process
Vance said the United States had been in contact with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, but it was unclear how much authority they currently had. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the war.
“It’s not entirely clear how decisions are made in their country,” Vance said.
U.S. President Donald Trump called it “the biggest problem” on Tuesday that no one knew who was running Iran. Tehran rejected the claim. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the problem was the opposite, pointing to what he described as contradictory positions and mixed messages from U.S. officials.
Sides exchange proposals on reopening Strait of Hormuz
In recent weeks, the sides have put forward proposals aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy shipments. Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal and said military operations could be expanded after next month’s midterm elections.
Vance said Iranian forces were sometimes able to strike commercial ships in the strait but lacked the capacity to significantly halt energy exports. He also dismissed concerns that U.S. ammunition stocks were running low.
The war is estimated to cost the United States about $3 billion a month. The conflict has driven up energy prices and complicated Republicans’ prospects in closely contested states.
Speaking after a rally in Alaska, Vance urged voters not to let the issue prevent them from supporting the party. Asked whether he would run for president in 2028, he said he had not yet decided: “I’m a procrastinator by nature.”
