US Vice President JD Vance has said the United States is still willing to reach an agreement with Iran, but any deal would depend on Tehran taking tangible steps to scale back its nuclear enrichment activities.
Vance said Washington was looking for actions rather than promises about possible changes to Iran’s nuclear programme in the future. He argued that Iran’s continued production of highly enriched fuel raises questions about its stated opposition to developing nuclear weapons.
According to Vance, Tehran could demonstrate its intentions by reducing its enrichment capabilities and refraining from producing fuel at very high enrichment levels.
He also acknowledged uncertainty within the US government over how major decisions are being made in Tehran. While Washington is communicating with Iran’s president and foreign minister, Vance said it remains unclear how much authority the two officials have within Iran’s broader power structure.
The uncertainty, he said, has added another complication to efforts to reach an agreement, particularly following the reported death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Vance also discussed the military situation, saying he had been in contact with commanders to assess developments on the ground. He rejected suggestions that US forces were facing a critical shortage of ammunition.
He said Iranian forces had managed to target commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz at times, but had not been able to significantly disrupt energy shipments through the strategically important waterway.
