JD Vance: Iran needs 'meaningful' reduction in 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 satisfy US demands and end the countries’ seven-month war, even as Washington was unsure how Tehran makes decisions in negotiations.

Vance, a longtime skeptic of US involvement in foreign wars, has taken a leading role in negotiating a settlement to the conflict and brokered a provisional peace agreement in June that quickly fell apart. The war has jolted global energy markets and become a political liability for US President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans ahead of November midterm elections.

Vance said on Monday after a campaign trip in Alaska that any agreement would require Iran to reduce its nuclear enrichment capacity, rather than offer assurances of future nuclear drawdowns.

"If you don't want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60 percent 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."

Reporting by Reuters