US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says Washington prefers a diplomatic resolution to the standoff over Iran's nuclear program, but confirms that striking Iran's nuclear facilities again remains an option. The comments follow the June 2025 US strikes on Iran's enrichment sites and come as Wright also warns the US will use force to keep oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has laid out Washington's position on Iran in blunt terms: talk first, but keep the option to strike on the table. Wright said the US prefers a diplomatic resolution to the standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions, while confirming that the military option to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities remains very much alive.
The statement follows US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 that targeted enrichment facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, strikes that set off a debate over how much damage was actually done and how long it would take Iran to rebuild.
What Wright said at the IAEA
At the IAEA General Conference in September 2025, Wright said Iran's nuclear weapons pathway must be "completely dismantled" — all uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing capability, not just a pause or a partial rollback.
By May 2026, Wright offered a more nuanced assessment, acknowledging that the June 2025 strikes had achieved their military objectives within five weeks. But he drew a distinction between hitting targets from the air and actually ending a nuclear program: bombing centrifuge halls is one thing, ensuring a country with decades of nuclear expertise cannot reconstitute its capabilities is another.
The sites and the standoff
Fordow, built deep inside a mountain near Qom, was designed to survive aerial bombardment. Natanz has been Iran's primary enrichment site since the early 2000s, and Isfahan houses the uranium conversion facility that feeds gas into centrifuges. Assessments of the June 2025 strikes still diverge: some suggest Iran's nuclear timeline was set back significantly, others say the destruction went further than initially reported. As of mid-2026, indirect talks between Washington and Tehran continue, with Oman serving as intermediary.
Energy markets and the Strait of Hormuz
Wright's comments also addressed the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply passes every day. Iran has repeatedly threatened to close it during periods of heightened tension.
He said the US is prepared to use military force to keep oil flowing through the strait if Iran attempts to disrupt it. Wright has also tried to minimize concerns about damage to Iran's civilian energy infrastructure, framing the US approach as targeted specifically at nuclear facilities rather than the broader energy sector.
Source: Crypto Briefing
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