Vance Deal: Lower Enrichment in Exchange for Ending the War

Washington, Agencies: US Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed that the United States is holding talks with Iranian leaders, but “remains unsure who is actually making decisions in Tehran.” Vance told Reuters that Washington is speaking with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, but added that he is not certain of the extent of the two men’s authority. He noted, “One thing we have observed is that it is not entirely clear how their country makes decisions.”

Vance reiterated that ending the seven-month war depends on Iran scaling back its nuclear program, pointing out that Tehran must make a “tangible” reduction in its enrichment capabilities. He stated, “If you do not want to possess a nuclear weapon, why do you need 60% enriched fuel? If you want to demonstrate a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, do not produce highly enriched fuel. This is a very fundamental and essential issue. I believe that if they want to show their commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, they must take a tangible step regarding their enrichment capabilities.” He added, “We will not substitute actions with mere words.”

Vance declined to disclose whether he is leading negotiations for an agreement, despite being frequently referred to as the White House’s chief negotiator. He said, “Ultimately, the President of the United States is the one steering the ship.”

In this context, US President Donald Trump stated that his country must finish what it started regarding Iran, and that his administration is currently considering whether this will be done “nicely or otherwise,” while noting that his biggest challenge is that “no one knows who runs Iran.” Speaking at a ceremony held at a shipyard in Baltimore, Trump said, “We have to end this matter (the war with Iran), and the question is only how we want to do it: will we do it nicely or in a way that is not nice at all? We will know very soon.”

For his part, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Athens, Greece, yesterday, firmly stated that the United States completely rejects any attempt by a single country to control a vital maritime route, emphasizing that the route remains fully open. He stressed that Tehran “will never” acquire a nuclear program. Rubio made these remarks during a press conference before the start of a “strategic dialogue” with the Greek government, a NATO member, to discuss regional security and energy security issues.

The US Secretary of State underscored the need to diversify global energy supply routes and sources to avoid any blackmail, while denying any actual disruption of navigation and declaring that Iran has “lost full control” of the strait. Rubio painted a grim picture of the internal situation in Iran, describing its economy as “collapsing” under the weight of imposed sanctions and accusing the Iranian regime of squandering its resources on supporting “terrorism, weapons, and Hezbollah.” He warned against Tehran’s attempts to remove US forces from the region, affirming that President Trump would not accept such a move under any circumstances.