Vance: Iran must significantly reduce nuclear enrichment capacity

Iran must "significantly" reduce its nuclear enrichment capacity to meet US demands and end a seven-month war between the two countries, US Vice President J.D. Vance said in an exclusive interview with Reuters.

Vance brokered an interim peace agreement in June, but it quickly collapsed. The war has shaken global energy markets and become a political burden for US President Donald Trump and Republicans ahead of midterm elections in November.

Vance said after a campaign trip to Alaska on Monday that any deal would require Iran to reduce its nuclear enrichment capacity. Vance said it would not be enough for Iran to give assurances that it would reduce its nuclear activities in the future.

"If you don't want nuclear weapons, why do you need 60 percent enriched fuel? If you want to show that you're determined not to build nuclear weapons, don't produce highly enriched fuel. That's a very basic threshold issue," Vance said.

"If they want to show that they are determined not to build nuclear weapons, they would take meaningful action on enrichment capabilities," Vance said.

Iran and the United States have made mutual offers in recent weeks to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is critical for global energy transportation. While Trump rejected Tehran's latest offer, he warned that military operations could intensify after the midterm elections.

Vance said the United States was still open to a deal, but required Iran to make concrete concessions on its nuclear program.