U.S. Vice-President JD Vance has said Iran must make a “meaningful” reduction to its nuclear enrichment capacity if the seven-month war between the two countries is to end.
He said any deal would require Iran to scale back its capacity, rather than simply offer assurances of future cuts.
“If you don't want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60 per cent enriched fuel?” Vance said, in an exclusive interview with Reuters. “We're not going to trade words for actions.”
He added that Washington remained open to reaching a peace agreement.
Vance, who is widely seen as the White House's lead negotiator, brokered a provisional peace deal in June, which quickly fell apart.
Meanwhile, an adviser to Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday that transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz deemed illegal by Iran would soon be closed, Iranian news agency Fars reported.
Mohammadreza Naqdi said these few routes had been created by blasting and damaging some of the rocky passages in the strategic waterway and were used by small boats smuggling oil.
Vance added that the U.S. was speaking to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, but that it was unclear how much authority they currently hold.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the war.
“It's not totally clear how their country makes decisions,” Vance said.
U.S. President Donald Trump separately said on Tuesday that his “biggest problem” was that nobody knows who is running Iran.
Tehran rejected the claim. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the problem was “the opposite”, pointing to “contradictory positions and mixed messaging” from U.S. officials.
The two sides have exchanged proposals in recent weeks aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy shipping.
Trump rejected Iran's latest offer and has warned that military operations could intensify after next month's midterm elections.
Vance said Iranian forces can sometimes strike commercial vessels in the strait but are largely unable to stop energy exports. He also dismissed concerns about munitions shortages.
The war, which is estimated to be costing Washington $3 billion a month, has pushed up energy prices and put Republicans on the defensive in competitive U.S. states.
Speaking after a rally in Alaska, Vance urged voters not to let the issue deter them from backing the party.
Asked whether he would run for the presidency in 2028, he said he had not decided. “I'm inherently a procrastinator,” he said.
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