U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s comments may signal that U.S. hopes for the nuclear deal are fading.
Published September 6, 2026
As the United States and Iran resume their trade offensive, senior U.S. officials have publicly downplayed the possibility of a nuclear deal, one of President Donald Trump’s initial main goals in the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that there “may not be” a nuclear deal, suggesting the U.S. could instead pivot to attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure efforts.
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“It may just be destroying Iran’s capabilities,” Wright said on “ABC This Week” of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The United States has previously targeted facilities it says are used to support Iran’s nuclear program. Iran has always maintained that it is only developing a nuclear power program and has no plans to build nuclear weapons.
Later, when asked by show co-host Martha Raddatz whether the United States would resort to continued bombing rather than diplomacy, Wright defended U.S. actions in Iran.
“They don’t have the capacity to build any more missiles,” Wright said. “We are reducing their ability to develop nuclear weapons and ultimately their ability to deliver nuclear weapons if they develop them.”
But a former oil executive whose agency oversees the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile said a deal with Iran could be possible under new leadership.
“A deal may wait for the next Iranian regime,” he said. “We don’t know that.”
Remarks by senior Trump administration officials may suggest that American hopes for the nuclear deal are fading and moving further out of reach.
After the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran collapsed in July, combined with Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the US naval blockade, attacks paused, but have since resumed.
Despite recent heavy firefights between U.S. and Iranian forces, the White House has sought to minimize confrontations in public statements.
On Friday, President Trump sought to downplay the Iran war by calling it “small potatoes.” Vice President J.D. Vance suggested at a White House press conference on Thursday that the conflict had subsided and appeared to dismiss an alleged U.S. attack on a wedding in southern Iran, saying “sometimes things happen.”
At a White House briefing this week, Vance called the conflict “not a war” and said there was “no active shooting going on right now.”
Mr. Wright said Sunday that the United States would “execute its mission” in Iran and that other countries would offer to help end the war, although he did not provide specifics.
“We will continue to work collaboratively with our allies in the region,” Wright said. “I think countries around the world will join in this effort.”
Al Jazeera has contacted the White House for comment.
