Iran07 September, 20263 min read
Chris Wright Says U.S. May Not Reach Nuclear Agreement With Iran
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US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says a nuclear deal with Iran may not happen. He suggests if no deal, Washington may destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities instead.
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Deal Doubt, Bombing Focus
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that there may not be a nuclear agreement with Iran, telling ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz, “There may not be a nuclear agreement.”
Wright said the alternative could be “simply destroying their capabilities to do it,” and he added that “An agreement may await the next administration in Iran,” while also saying “We simply don’t know that.”
The comments came as hostilities between the U.S. and Iran appeared to ramp up again, with ABC News reporting that on Saturday the U.S. struck three Iranian oil tankers after Iran targeted two U.S. Navy warships.
In the same interview, Wright said the U.S. had crippled Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon through its bombing campaign, saying, “We are degrading their capacity to develop nuclear weapons and ultimately to deliver them.”
Al Jazeera framed Wright’s remarks as downplaying the chances of one of President Donald Trump’s initial key objectives—getting a signed nuclear agreement—while noting Wright said the U.S. may pivot to strikes against Iranian nuclear infrastructure.
Strait of Hormuz Pressure
Wright tied the nuclear track to ongoing military pressure, telling ABC News that the U.S. would “get the job done” and work with allies in the region, while also describing the campaign as “a 47-year-long effort.” He said the seven-day average for oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz was “a little over nine million barrels a day,” and he added that bypass pipelines through Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates bring the flow “more like 13, 14 million barrels a day.” Al Jazeera reported that after a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran collapsed in July, attacks paused and then resumed, alongside Iranian closures of the Strait of Hormuz and a U.S. naval blockade.
In a separate account, Anadolu Ajansı said Wright told ABC News that a nuclear agreement may not materialize and that the U.S. may instead rely on destroying Tehran’s capabilities, while also citing Wright’s claim that the seven-day average for the strait “stands at more than 9 million barrels per day.” Wright also described the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports as something that would “either change their regime or it'll change their regime's policies,” according to ABC News.
Iran Warns, Escalation Risks
Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned Sunday that “proportionate responses” to U.S. attacks are over, saying any violation of Iran’s interests and security will receive a response that is “faster, heavier, and more painful.”
Ghalibaf also acknowledged economic pressures in Iran, saying “Severe fluctuations in the exchange rate, inflation, unemployment, and market management are fundamental challenges that have put serious pressure on people's livelihoods.”
CNBC reported that U.S. Central Command said American forces responded to IRGC missile launches toward two U.S. Navy warships by targeting three Iranian crude carriers, with one “permanently disabled off Kharg Island” and another “near Jask.”
CNBC also quoted CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper saying, “If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost —taking out three of yours,” and it added that the U.S. said no American personnel were harmed.
The Guardian described Wright’s position as keeping diplomatic outreach open while stressing that the “biggest role” of the U.S. military in the Gulf region was to stop Iranian energy exports, with Wright saying, “We are strangling their economy to try to bring either a change in policy from the existing regime or a new regime.”