Vice President JD Vance called on Iran to make a "meaningful" reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to end the ongoing war between the two nations, according to remarks he made to Reuters on Monday. The statement marks a shift from the Trump administration's earlier insistence that Iran completely end its nuclear enrichment program.
Speaking after a campaign trip in Alaska, Vance said any settlement would require Iran to reduce its enrichment capacity rather than simply offer assurances of future nuclear drawdowns. "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, according to the Reuters interview. He added: "I think if they want to show a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, they would do something meaningful on their enrichment capacity."
Vance, a longtime skeptic of U.S. involvement in foreign wars, has taken a leading role in negotiating an end to the conflict. He previously brokered a provisional peace agreement in June that quickly collapsed. The seven-month war has disrupted global energy markets, particularly affecting the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for global energy exports. The conflict has also become a significant political liability for President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections.
Recent weeks have seen Iran and the U.S. exchange proposals aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump rejected Tehran's latest offer and warned that military operations could intensify after the midterms. Despite this hardline stance, Vance said the U.S. remained open to an agreement but would require concrete Iranian nuclear concessions as a precondition.
Complications in the negotiation process include uncertainty about Iran's decision-making structure. Vance acknowledged that Washington is unclear who holds ultimate authority in Tehran, particularly following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the war that 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. The U.S. has been in talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, though Vance said it remained uncertain how much authority they hold within Iran's power structure.
Iran's Foreign Ministry disputed the U.S. characterization of unclear decision-making. On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that U.S. officials are well aware of who their Iranian counterparts are and how Iran's decision-making system works. "The problem is actually the opposite: it lies in the contradictory positions and mixed messaging from U.S. officials," Baghaei told a weekly press conference.
Vance declined to confirm whether he was personally leading the peace negotiations, though he is frequently cited as the White House's top negotiator. "We're certainly involved," he said. "Ultimately, the president of the United States is driving things." He also told Reuters he has held personal conversations with field commanders to assess battlefield conditions and dismissed concerns about critical munitions shortages. While acknowledging that Iranian troops are periodically able to strike commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Vance said they are largely unable to prevent energy exports through the waterway.
The war carries a monthly cost of approximately $3 billion and has become a key campaign issue heading into the midterm elections. 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 during campaign appearances, telling voters they should not let the issue prevent them from backing Republicans in next month's elections.
