US energy secretary warns Iran nuclear deal may not materialize

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday that efforts to secure a nuclear agreement with Iran may prove unsuccessful, warning that Washington could be forced to pursue the destruction of Tehran's capabilities instead of diplomatic engagement. "There may not be a nuclear agreement," Wright told ABC News in an interview broadcast over the weekend. "It may be simply destroying their capabilities to do it. An agreement may await a next administration in Iran. We simply don't know that."

When asked whether continued bombing campaigns would become the primary strategy to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Wright responded affirmatively and outlined the rationale for such an approach. "You have to destroy their capabilities to do it," he said, referring to Tehran's military infrastructure. "They built a massive missile infrastructure to manufacture missiles, which you see them firing today, but they don't have the capability to build more missiles."

Hormuz and diplomatic impasse

The secretary also addressed oil flows through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, noting that the seven-day average for petroleum passing through the chokepoint currently stands at more than 9 million barrels per day, a figure he described as the highest seven-day average on record. Combined with flows through pipelines traversing Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the total volume leaving the region reaches between 13 million and 14 million barrels per day, Wright added, providing figures consistent with statements he made in early August.

The comments come as Iran and the US remain locked in a diplomatic impasse despite signing a memorandum of understanding in June, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, that outlined steps toward ending hostilities, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and addressing economic restrictions. Both sides have since traded accusations over failures to implement commitments under the agreement, while US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Iran's leadership has fundamentally changed since the US-Israel strikes began in late February, even though Iran's system remains intact under a new supreme leader.