The US vice president called 60 percent enrichment a key issue and said Washington would not trade words for concrete concessions from Tehran.
Iran must make a substantial cut to its uranium enrichment capacity to move toward an agreement with the United States and end a seven-month war, US Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with Reuters. He said Washington remained open to a deal but expected concrete steps from Tehran.
Vance questioned why Iran would need uranium enriched to 60% if it did not seek nuclear weapons. He said that ending production of highly enriched fuel and taking “meaningful steps” to reduce enrichment capacity would demonstrate a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon.
“We’re not going to trade words for actions,” the vice president said. He also said negotiations were complicated by uncertainty over who makes decisions in Iran. The United States is speaking with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Vance said, but it is unclear how much influence they hold in the country’s power structure.
In late September, Axios reported that US-Iran talks mediated by Qatar in New York had stalled because neither side was willing to make concessions. Qatari mediator Ali al-Thawadi held lengthy talks with Araghchi before meeting US officials in Washington. The discussions included a possible lifting of the US naval blockade in exchange for Iranian concessions on the nuclear issue.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio later demanded that the Iranian delegation, including Araghchi, leave the United States after the UN General Assembly. Axios subsequently reported that two members of the delegation had been expelled.
President Donald Trump recently said the conflict could end “the nice way or the hard way.” He has also raised the possibility of renewed attacks on Iran after the US midterm elections in November.