US Energy Secretary Chris Wright Says Nuclear Deal With Iran May Not Be Reached

Nuclear Agreement Status and Military Strategy

Wright stated that Washington might bypass a negotiated diplomatic settlement entirely to focus on disabling Tehran’s atomic infrastructure. “There may not be a nuclear agreement. It may be simply destroying their capabilities to do it,” Wright said on ABC News, adding that a future pact “may await the next administration in Iran.” President Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains a central objective of the U.S. military campaign, though his preference is to avoid military solutions unless necessary, according to Wright’s later appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

When pressed on whether the administration plans to continuously strike Iranian nuclear facilities during rebuilding efforts, Wright affirmed the military’s ongoing mission. “We are degrading their capacity to develop nuclear weapons and ultimately to deliver them if they develop them,” Wright told ABC News. He described the effort as part of a 47-year U.S. policy undertaking, noting that Washington will cooperate with regional allies to complete the task.

Strait of Hormuz Blockade and Economic Pressure

Alongside military operations against nuclear sites, Wright detailed the economic coercion strategy targeting Iranian energy exports. “The biggest role of our military in the region right now is to stop the export of any Iranian crude or crude-related products, natural gas, whatever,” Wright said on CBS. He asserted that the administration is “strangling their economy to try to bring either a change in policy from the existing regime or a new regime.”

According to Wright, wartime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz reached a seven-day average of just over nine million barrels per day, bolstered by bypass pipelines through Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that lift total regional flow to roughly 13 or 14 million barrels daily. U.S. Central Command recently executed retaliatory strikes against three Iranian crude oil carriers—permanently disabling vessels off Kharg Island and near Jask, as well as another tanker in the Gulf of Oman—following Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ballistic missile attacks targeting two U.S. Navy warships.

Iranian Parliamentary Response

Iranian parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf responded on Sunday by declaring that Tehran’s proportionate military reactions had concluded. Ghalibaf warned via Telegram that any future violation of Iranian security would provoke a “faster, heavier, and more painful” response. At the same time, Ghalibaf acknowledged severe domestic economic strains resulting from the conflict, pointing to inflation, unemployment, and exchange rate fluctuations that have placed heavy pressure on the population.