US presses Iran for major cut in uranium enrichment as nuclear talks continue
The United States has signalled new demands in discussions over Iran's nuclear programme, with Vice President JD Vance saying Tehran should make a "meaningful" reduction in uranium enrichment capacity. The comments come as senior US officials continue to insist that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon, while Iranian officials question whether Washington is genuinely seeking negotiations. The dispute is unfolding as the wider US-Israel war on Iran enters its eighth month, according to the supplied report.
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Vance said Iran needed to show it was not pursuing a nuclear weapon by changing its enrichment programme, arguing that the level of enrichment was a basic threshold issue. He told Reuters that if Iran did not want a nuclear weapon, it should not produce highly enriched fuel, and asked why it needed uranium enriched to 60 percent. The International Atomic Energy Agency has reported that Iran had enriched uranium to 60 percent, below the roughly 90 percent considered weapons-grade.
In its May 2025 assessment, the agency found no credible indications of a structured nuclear programme. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also reiterated that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, while President Donald Trump has warned that the war will end through either "the nice way or the not-so-nice way". The report says Vance added that the United States was speaking with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, although it was not clear how decisions are made in Iran.
Tehran, meanwhile, has raised doubts about Washington's intentions and has pointed to sanctions, frozen Iranian assets, the US naval blockade and fighting across the region as the main obstacles to a deal. The latest exchange matters because it suggests the outlines of a possible agreement remain contested at a sensitive moment. A reduction in enrichment would be a significant concession for Iran, which has long treated its nuclear programme as a central strategic issue.
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For Washington, the demand reflects an effort to limit any pathway to weapons-grade material while keeping pressure on Tehran through diplomacy and public warnings. The comments also show that the nuclear file remains tied to the broader conflict, rather than being handled as a separate technical negotiation. The report says experts see Vance's language as potentially softer than earlier US insistence that Iran abandon enrichment altogether.
Simon Mabon, a professor of international relations at Lancaster University, said the prospect of Iran seeking a nuclear weapon has remained remote. He added that Tehran's negotiators are more focused on sanctions relief, frozen assets, the naval blockade and regional fighting, which he described as the main barriers to a deal. That framing suggests the talks are not only about centrifuges and enrichment levels, but also about wider political and military pressure.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's findings provide an important backdrop to the current dispute. Enrichment at 60 percent is far above civilian power-reactor levels, but still below weapons-grade material, and the agency's May 2025 assessment did not identify a structured nuclear weapons programme. That distinction appears to be central to the current US argument: that Iran can be pressed to reduce enrichment without the immediate claim that it is already building a bomb.
At the same time, the public remarks from senior US officials indicate that the diplomatic track remains closely linked to deterrence messaging. What remains unclear is whether the two sides are moving toward a concrete formula or simply restating incompatible positions. The report does not say whether any formal proposal has been exchanged, or whether the talks have produced a timetable for further contact.
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It also remains uncertain how much authority the Iranian officials named by Vance have over final decisions. For now, the key issue to watch is whether the demand for a "meaningful" reduction in enrichment becomes the basis for a deal or another point of deadlock.
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