Vance says Iran must cut uranium enrichment to end the war

US Vice President JD Vance said Iran must make a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity before the seven-month war between the two countries can end. In an exclusive Reuters interview, Vance made uranium enrichment the central test of any settlement.

The interview took place on Monday after a campaign trip in Alaska and was conducted on Oct 6, 2026. It came before a campaign rally at Fairbanks International Airport in Fairbanks, Alaska, US, on October 5, 2026.

Vance said the US would require deeds rather than assurances from Tehran. “We're not going to trade words for actions.”

He questioned Iran’s enrichment of uranium to 60%, saying: “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 60% enriched uranium was unnecessary for energy production. “you don't need it for anything except to have threshold weapons-grade uranium”

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.”

The demand follows a war that began with joint US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Vance, a longtime sceptic of US involvement in foreign wars, later brokered a provisional peace agreement in June, though it quickly fell apart.

Iran and the US have exchanged proposals in recent weeks intended to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s latest offer and has warned that military operations could intensify after the midterms.

Vance said the US is in talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. He also described uncertainty over the authority each holds within Iran’s power structure.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, responded on Sunday that US officials know who their Iranian counterparts are and understand Iran’s decision-making system.

Trump said on Tuesday that his “biggest problem” is that no one knows who is running Iran.

The conflict has jolted global energy markets and become a political liability for Trump and fellow Republicans before the November midterm elections.