US Vice President JD Vance Says Iran Must Reduce Nuclear Enrichment Capacity for Deal
WASHINGTON, October 6, 2026: US Vice President JD Vance has said Washington remains willing to reach a deal with Iran to end the conflict, but Tehran will have to show flexibility over its nuclear programme and reduce its uranium enrichment capacity.
In an interview with a news agency, Vance said Iran would need to scale back its enrichment capabilities as part of any agreement aimed at ending the war.
He said it remained unclear how decisions were being made within Iran and questioned why Tehran would need highly enriched nuclear fuel if it did not intend to develop nuclear weapons.
“Simply promising to reduce nuclear activities in the future will not be enough,” Vance said, arguing that Iran would need to demonstrate through concrete measures that it did not intend to develop nuclear weapons.
“If Iran does not want nuclear weapons, then why does it need 60 percent enriched fuel?” he questioned.
Vance reiterated that the United States was still prepared to negotiate an agreement with Iran, but stressed that Tehran would have to demonstrate flexibility regarding its nuclear programme.
The US vice president also said Washington was uncertain about where ultimate decision-making authority lay in Tehran. He said the United States was holding talks with Iran’s president and foreign minister, but it was unclear how much authority either official had within Iran’s power structure.
Vance said the situation had become even more complicated following the reported death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Discussing the military situation, Vance said he had spoken with field commanders and that US forces were not facing any shortage of weapons in the conflict with Iran.
He also accused Iran of periodically targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, while claiming that Tehran had largely failed to halt energy exports through the strategic waterway.
Meanwhile, Vance said he had not yet made a decision about whether he would run for president in the future.
