File photo: US vice president JD Vance speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force Two
The conflict is costing about $3 billion a month, according to a Congressional budget office forecast cited by Reuters, while higher energy prices have put Republicans on the defensive in competitive states that could determine control of Congress.
US vice president JD Vance has said Iran must make a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity for Washington to agree to an end to the seven-month war. In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Vance said the US remained open to a negotiated settlement but would not accept promises in place of action. “We’re not going to trade words for actions,” Vance said. Vance, who has taken a leading role in efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict, said any agreement would require Iran to reduce its enrichment capacity. Vance also said Washington remained uncertain about how decisions are made inside Iran, particularly over the authority of Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said US officials were well aware of their Iranian counterparts and understood how Iran’s decision-making system worked, arguing that the real problem was Washington’s “contradictory positions and mixed messaging”.
Iran has pushed back against that assessment.