Vance: Iran must cut enrichment capacity to end seven month war

Vice President JD Vance said in an exclusive interview with Reuters on Monday that Iran must make a "meaningful" reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to satisfy American demands and end the seven month war between the two countries. Not assurances about future drawdowns. Actual cuts to the enrichment program itself.

"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 after a campaign trip in Fairbanks, Alaska. "We're not going to trade words for actions," he added.

Vance, a longtime skeptic of American involvement in foreign wars, has taken a leading role in trying to negotiate a settlement. He brokered a provisional peace agreement that quickly fell apart. In recent weeks Iran and the United States have exchanged proposals aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping lane for global energy. Trump rejected Tehran's latest offer and has warned that military operations could intensify after the midterm elections. A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday that Washington's demands are at odds with what Tehran will accept.

Vance acknowledged a complication that may matter more than the enrichment math: Washington is not sure who actually makes decisions in Tehran. That uncertainty, layered over a war that has now run seven months, jolted global energy markets, and become a political liability for Republicans ahead of the November 3 midterms, is why this interview matters. The vice president has now stated the American price for peace in public. Iran's answer will determine whether the war's eighth month looks like its seventh.