U.S. pushes Iran to cut enrichment in bid to end war

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US pushes Iran to cut enrichment

Highlights

Iran must make significant reductions to its nuclear enrichment capacity for the U.S. to agree to a deal ending the war, according to Vance on Monday.
The war costs $3 billion per month and ongoing attacks near the Strait of Hormuz threaten global energy flow, impacting energy prices and political stakes.
President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal and warns of intensified military actions after midterms, while U.S.-Iran talks remain fraught over decision-making authority post-Khamenei.

Nuclear demands and stalled peace efforts

As reported by BusinessWorld, citing Reuters, Vance says Iran must significantly reduce its nuclear enrichment capacity for Washington to agree to a deal that would end the war between the two countries.

Speaking on Monday after a campaign trip in Alaska, Vance says any agreement must include concrete limits on enrichment rather than promises of future nuclear restraint. He says highly enriched fuel is a basic threshold issue and argues that a real commitment against building a nuclear weapon would require meaningful action on enrichment capacity.

Iran and the U.S. have exchanged proposals in recent weeks aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy shipping route. President Donald Trump has rejected Tehran’s latest offer and warns military operations could intensify after the midterms, while Vance says the U.S. remains open to an agreement but will not trade words for actions.

Energy market pressure and political stakes

Vance also says Washington remains uncertain about how decisions are made in Tehran, even as the U.S. holds talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. He says it is unclear how much authority they hold within Iran’s power structure after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the war killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry pushes back on that view, with spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying U.S. officials understand Iran’s decision-making system and that the real problem is contradictory messaging from Washington. Vance says he has also spoken directly with field commanders to assess battlefield conditions, dismissing concerns about critical munitions shortages and saying Iranian forces are largely unable to block energy exports through the Strait, despite periodic attacks on commercial shipping.

The conflict carries a monthly cost of $3 billion and has become a growing campaign issue for Republicans as higher energy prices weigh on voters. In Alaska, where energy production is central to the local economy, Vance pairs his diplomatic comments with a campaign push on affordability as he rallies support for Senator Dan Sullivan in a closely watched reelection contest.

Our earlier coverage of the surge in shipping risks in the Strait of Hormuz described how escalating attacks pushed tanker operators to pay steep hazard premiums, with crew wages and per-transit bonuses rising sharply. We also noted record freight rates and soaring war-risk insurance and bunker fuel costs, even as Gulf exporters worked to keep oil moving via alternative routes and ship-to-ship transfers.

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