Chris Wright said on Sunday that there may not be a nuclear agreement with Iran, sharpening the Trump administration’s public line as attacks between the United States and Iran continue. He said the fight may end only by stripping Iran of the ability to build a nuclear weapon.
Wright said on ABC News, “It may be simply destroying their capabilities to do it,” and added, “An agreement may await the next administration in Iran.” The remarks suggest the White House is treating diplomacy as one option, not the end state.
ABC This Week remarks
Pressed by Martha Raddatz, Wright said, “They don’t have the capability to build more missiles,” and, “We’re degrading their capacity to develop nuclear weapons, and, ultimately, to deliver them if they develop them.” He also said, “We will work in cooperation with our allies in the region,” and, “I think you’ll see countries from around the world joining this effort as well.”
Those comments put the focus on capability, not just talks. Wright’s framing means the United States is pairing the prospect of an agreement with a military effort to reduce Iran’s options if no deal arrives. For readers, the practical takeaway is that the path forward is now tied to pressure as much as negotiation.
July collapse and renewed attacks
The article says attacks paused after the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran collapsed in July, then resumed after the pause. It also says the renewed fighting came with Iranian closures of the Strait of Hormuz and a US naval blockade. That sequence leaves the two sides moving in parallel tracks: force on the ground and talk of a deal in public.
Donald Trump called the war in Iran “small potatoes” on Friday. JD Vance said at a White House briefing on Thursday that he would not call the conflict a war and that there was “no active shooting right now.”
Iran talks under pressure
Wright’s remarks leave one path open and another narrowing. He did not close the door on diplomacy, but he tied any agreement to a future Iranian administration while saying the United States is already degrading Iran’s nuclear capacity. That means the near-term question is not whether talks can restart in theory, but whether Washington keeps pressing for a deal or continues the campaign against Iranian capabilities.
Readers watching the nuclear issue should expect the public line to stay split between diplomacy and pressure. The immediate answer from Wright was direct: there may not be an agreement, and if one comes, it may come later.
