US signals Iran nuclear standoff could shift from diplomacy back to military strikes

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says Washington open to negotiations with Tehran but may rely on military force to prevent Iran from rebuilding its nuclear capabilities.

By World Israel News Staff

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that the United States may ultimately prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons through military force rather than a negotiated agreement, raising the possibility that talks with Tehran will not produce a deal under Iran’s current leadership.

“There may not be a nuclear agreement,” Wright said during an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week.”

“It may be simply destroying their capabilities to do it,” he added, suggesting Washington could continue targeting Iranian nuclear infrastructure if Tehran attempts to rebuild facilities damaged during the conflict.

Wright said an agreement could potentially have to wait until Iran undergoes a change in leadership, as diplomatic efforts remain stalled more than six months after the outbreak of the US-Israel conflict with the Islamic Republic.

The comments mark one of the clearest acknowledgments from a senior Trump administration official that Washington may be preparing for a prolonged strategy centered on military and economic pressure rather than an imminent diplomatic breakthrough.

President Donald Trump entered the conflict insisting that Iran would not be permitted to develop a nuclear weapon and initially continued to push for an agreement that would place permanent restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program.

The United States and Iran reached a memorandum of understanding in June that halted hostilities and was intended to open the way for 60 days of negotiations toward a broader nuclear agreement.

The arrangement also included provisions concerning the Strait of Hormuz, US sanctions and Iranian oil exports.

Those negotiations, however, failed to produce a final accord, and fighting has since resumed.

Despite his doubts about whether a nuclear agreement will ultimately be reached, Wright stressed that Washington has not formally abandoned diplomacy.

The United States is “always open for a deal,” Wright said in a separate interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

He said Trump continues to favor negotiations and does not want to “use a military solution unless absolutely necessary.”

At the same time, Wright argued that the US military campaign has already substantially damaged Iran’s ability both to develop nuclear weapons and to deploy them.

The administration has increasingly paired military strikes with an effort to cripple Tehran economically.

In August, the Treasury Department launched what it called “Operation Economic Outcast,” a broad sanctions and financial pressure campaign intended to isolate Iran from international trade, banking and energy markets.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the goal was to “sever every economic lifeline” sustaining the Iranian government.

The administration has since targeted banks and financial networks accused of helping Iran move oil revenues and evade sanctions, while American forces have sought to restrict Iranian energy exports from the Persian Gulf.

Wright said Sunday that preventing those exports has become a major mission for US forces in the region, with the administration hoping the economic pressure will force Tehran either to change its policies or contribute to a broader political change inside Iran.

The renewed confrontation has also brought additional US strikes against Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran has threatened further retaliation and announced plans for a restricted maritime zone near the strategic waterway.

The Strait remains one of the world’s most important energy transit routes, making continued fighting between Washington and Tehran a major source of uncertainty for global oil markets.

Trump has meanwhile adopted an increasingly dismissive tone toward the prospects for negotiations.

Last week, he said he “could not care less” whether Iran ultimately signs an agreement with Washington, arguing that Tehran’s economy has been badly damaged and that the United States holds the upper hand militarily.

Trump has nevertheless continued to emphasize that Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon remains unacceptable.

His administration has also focused attention on Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified site near the damaged Natanz nuclear complex where Iran is believed to have constructed deep underground facilities.

Trump said Friday that the United States could soon strike the site if Iran resumes sensitive nuclear work there.