By Jacob Bogage
FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Oct 6 (Reuters) - 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 September that quickly fell apart. The war has jolted global energy markets and become a political liability for President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans ahead of November midterm elections.
Speaking on Monday after a campaign trip in Alaska, Vance said 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% 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."
Iran and the US have exchanged proposals in recent weeks aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy shipping route. Trump rejected Tehran's latest offer and has warned that military operations could intensify after the midterms.
Vance said the US remained open to an agreement but would require concrete Iranian nuclear concessions.
"We're not going to trade words for actions," Vance said.
UNCLEAR HOW IRAN MAKES DECISIONS: VANCE
Complicating matters, Vance said Washington is uncertain who makes decisions in Tehran.
Vance said the US was in talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. But it was unclear how much authority they wield within Iran's power structure, he said, after joint US-Israeli strikes at the start of the war killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"One of the things we picked up on is it's not totally clear how their country makes decisions," Vance said. Separately, Trump said on Tuesday his "biggest problem" is no one knows who is running Iran.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday that US officials are well aware of who their Iranian counterparts are and how Iran's decision-making system works.
"The problem is actually the opposite: it lies in the contradictory positions and mixed messaging from US officials," Esmaeil Baghaei told a weekly press conference.
Vance told Reuters he has held personal conversations with field commanders to gauge battlefield conditions. He dismissed concerns over critical munitions shortages and added that while Iranian troops are periodically able to strike commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, they are largely unable to prevent energy exports through the waterway.
The war — and its $3 billion monthly price tag — has become a key issue on the campaign trail. Higher energy prices have put Trump and Republicans on the defensive in competitive states that will decide control of Congress.
Vance has sought to temper criticism of Trump’s handling of the conflict, telling voters they should not let that issue keep them from backing Republicans in next month's elections.
In Alaska, Vance rallied for Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, who is locked in a tight reelection battle with Democratic challenger Mary Peltola. Trump carried Alaska by 13 percentage points in 2024, but rising everyday costs have put the state in play.
Before speaking with Reuters, Vance focused much of his speech on affordability concerns, especially around energy. Alaska's remote locale makes consumer goods more expensive, and energy production is a key industry.
Rally attendees roared when Sullivan nearly introduced Vance as the president of the US, rather than the vice president. Vance is seen as a leading Republican contender to succeed Trump in the White House.
Vance told Reuters afterward that he had not decided whether to seek the presidency in 2028.
"I'm inherently a procrastinator," he said. "I really haven't thought about it much."
(Reporting by Jacob Bogage; Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Rod Nickel)
