US energy secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday morning that the United States may not be able to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran that would prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons. In an interview on ABC, Wright acknowledged that negotiations appear stalled and that further US military action could be necessary to eliminate Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Nuclear talks stall as military options remain
Asked on ABC's Sunday morning program about any sign of a deal, Wright said: "There may not be a nuclear agreement." He discussed options for addressing what he called the "existential threat" of a nuclear-armed Iran, including further US military strikes to destroy the country's capacity to manufacture and deploy such missiles. "It may be simply [a case of] destroying their capabilities to do it," he said, adding that "an agreement may await the next administration in Iran."
Later on CBS's Face the Nation, Wright said the US was not shutting down diplomatic outreach and was "always open for a deal." He described the "biggest role" of the US military in the Gulf region as stopping Iranian energy exports. "We are strangling their economy to try to bring either a change in policy from the existing regime or a new regime," he said.
Strait of Hormuz safety questioned
In a separate interview on CNN's State of the Union, Wright declined to declare the Strait of Hormuz safe for oil tankers unless they are escorted by the US navy. He stopped short of saying whether the navy would need to remain in the Gulf region "indefinitely" to keep the vital energy passageway operating as the conflict continues.
This stance contrasts with President Donald Trump's repeated claims that ships can navigate the strait safely, including his insistence last week that the US controls the waterway and his suggestion that it be renamed after him. Those statements were followed by further strikes from both sides in the area.
When asked by CNN host Dana Bash whether he could "unequivocally" assure safety for merchant ships, Wright said: "We're working cooperatively with fleets that do want to transit. Some ships aren't transiting, and, of course, that's their choice. But the United States is working with teams from all the nations in the Gulf to get transits and to continue to ramp them up."
Bash pressed: "But you're not saying that it's currently safe?" Wright replied: "We're getting a lot of ships through, but, of course, it requires the US military to do that. We are not [at] pre-conflict levels, if that's what you're asking."
When asked if a company could send a tanker through the strait safely, Wright said: "Well, if they want to work with the United States navy, I think they can."
US military presence and conflict outlook
Bash then asked whether the US navy would remain in the region "indefinitely" and whether its presence was becoming "the new normal." Wright responded: "Well, it is today, but I think, as you look forward, other nations will come and work with us in this endeavor. Certainly, trade for the world is important. It shouldn't be just the United States's responsibility."
"But until Iran changes their position or changes their government, we'll have to deal with them. But, slowly, their capabilities are being degraded and ours are being enhanced," he added.
Nuclear and diplomatic talks between the US and Iran appear to have stalled after a June interim agreement to end military operations collapsed without producing a lasting settlement. US strikes last summer caused significant damage to Iran's nuclear program, according to the source article.
Wright was also asked by CNN if the US is still at war. "We're still in a conflict, for sure," he said. On Thursday, Vice-President JD Vance said at a White House press briefing: "I wouldn't call it a war," instead referring to a military conflict. Trump defended Vance, saying: "A lot of people do not call it a war, I would call it a military conflict, because it's small potatoes for us … it's not a big thing."
Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana was asked on NBC if the war would be over by November. "Probably not," he said.
The conflict passed the six-month mark in late August. Former defense secretary Leon Panetta warned in an interview with the Guardian this weekend that it could last much longer.
