Wright: US May Destroy Iran's Nuclear Capabilities — SkimNews
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- Chris Wright told ABC's "This Week" that "there may not be a nuclear agreement" with Iran and "it may be simply destroying their capabilities to do it," floating military destruction as the alternative to diplomacy.
- Wright added a nuclear deal "may await a next administration," the first senior Trump cabinet official to publicly suggest the diplomatic track could be deferred past Trump's tenure.
- The US-Iran conflict has entered its seventh month with no deal to end hostilities or curb Iran's nuclear program; the US and Israel launched the war in late February with the stated goal of destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities.
- U.S. Central Command said American forces Saturday fired on multiple Iranian crude oil carriers in the Persian Gulf after the IRGC attacked two US warships.
- IRGC forces retaliated Sunday by striking an American ship in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media, marking an escalation in tanker and naval exchanges.
- President Trump on Friday called the conflict "small potatoes" for the US and said he understands Vice President Vance's refusal to characterize it as a war, downplaying the seven-month-old military campaign.
- The original war aim — destruction of Iran's nuclear capabilities — was stated by Trump and administration officials at the February launch, meaning Wright's Sunday framing reframes the military option from fallback to possible endpoint.
Why it matters: Wright's Sunday comment is the first time a sitting Trump cabinet secretary has publicly said the administration may not pursue a nuclear deal at all and instead settle for destroying Iran's capabilities outright — a notable shift when the conflict is already seven months old with no diplomatic off-ramp and active tit-for-tat strikes on ships and tankers.
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