Washington (TDI): US Vice President JD Vance has said Iran must make a meaningful reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity for Washington to agree to an end to the seven-month war, signaling that concrete limits on Tehran’s nuclear program remain central to any potential settlement.
In an interview with Reuters, Vance said the United States would not accept Iranian assurances about future restrictions and instead wanted Tehran to take tangible steps to reduce its enrichment capabilities.
“If you don’t want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60 per cent enriched fuel?” Vance said, arguing that Iran could demonstrate its commitment to not developing a nuclear weapon by taking meaningful action on its enrichment program.
Vance said Washington remained open to an agreement but would not exchange verbal commitments for concrete measures. “We’re not going to trade words for actions,” he said.
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Iran and the United States have exchanged proposals in recent weeks aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy shipments. US President Donald Trump has rejected Tehran’s latest proposal and warned that military operations could intensify after the November midterm elections.
Vance, who has played a prominent role in efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict, said any agreement would require Iran to commit to preventing the reconstruction of its nuclear program and take concrete measures toward that objective.
The vice president also acknowledged uncertainty in Washington over how decisions are being made in Tehran. Vance said the United States was communicating with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, but questioned how much authority they hold within Iran’s broader political structure following the reported killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes at the beginning of the war.
“One of the things we picked up on is it’s not totally clear how their country makes decisions,” Vance said. Trump separately said Tuesday that his “biggest problem” was that nobody knows who is running Iran.
Iran has rejected the suggestion that its decision-making structure is unclear to Washington. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said US officials were aware of their Iranian counterparts and understood how Iran’s political system works, arguing that the main difficulty was contradictory messaging from American officials.
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Vance also said he had spoken with US military commanders to assess conditions on the battlefield. He dismissed concerns about critical US munitions shortages and said Iranian forces had been able to strike some commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz but had largely failed to prevent energy exports through the waterway.
The conflict has meanwhile placed significant pressure on global energy markets. Disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz and other regional shipping routes have affected energy flows and contributed to higher prices, while the war has also become an increasingly important political issue in the United States ahead of the November congressional elections.
Vance declined to describe himself as the lead negotiator in the talks, saying the US administration was involved but that Trump ultimately directs the negotiations. “We’re certainly involved,” Vance said. “Ultimately, the president of the United States is driving things.”
