Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that the United States is close to a deal that would permanently end Iran’s nuclear program, dismissing Tehran’s threats to the Strait of Hormuz as the final throes of a weakened government.
“These are the dying gasps of the regime,” Mr. Wright said on “Fox News Sunday.” “It’s for decades pursued a nuclear weapon and they see that effort is going to come to an end.”
Mr. Wright offered his assessment as President Trump escalated his rhetoric over the weekend by threatening to destroy every power plant and bridge in Iran if Tehran refuses to reopen the strait and sign an agreement.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has continued to assert control over the waterway, and major maritime security groups — including BIMCO, the world’s largest international shipping association — have advised commercial shipping to avoid the area despite Mr. Trump’s declaration that the strait is open.
Mr. Wright defended the approach as deliberate leverage, calling Mr. Trump “a creative negotiator” who “uses pressure in different ways, uses uncertainty in different ways” to produce results.
Mr. Wright, who also appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union,” acknowledged the IRGC still has missiles capable of threatening transit through the strait but said he expects the situation to resolve quickly.
“I think everyone understands this situation will be cleared out for good,” he said. “Why risk an encounter a few days early?”
Asked to define what a successful outcome looks like, Mr. Wright was direct: the Iranian nuclear program must be permanently dismantled.
“The finish line is confidence that the Iranian nuclear program is over,” he said. “A successful outcome is the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran is over. The Straits of Hormuz are open, commerce and peace returns to the region.”
Mr. Wright said negotiations are ongoing and expressed confidence they would produce an agreement, framing a successful deal as a historic realignment of the Middle East.
“I think we’ll have a nice end of this conflict and have the Middle East finally not have a constant terror or a constant risk over the regimes in the area, the economies in the area, and ultimately the flow of goods through the Straits of Hormuz,” he said.
