Trump official says ‘there may not be a nuclear agreement’ with Iran

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s comments could signal that US hopes for a nuclear deal are dimming.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright at a media conference in Venezuela on Wednesday [Jesus Vargas/Getty Images]

As the United States and Iran resume trading attacks, a top US official has publicly downplayed the chances of one of President Donald Trump’s initial key objectives in the US and Israel’s war on Iran: getting a signed nuclear agreement .

During an interview on Sunday with US channel ABC News, the US Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, said “there may not” be a nuclear deal, signalling that the US may pivot instead to launching strikes against any Iranian efforts to build nuclear infrastructure.

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“It may be simply destroying their capabilities to do it,” Wright said on ‘ABC This Week’ about Iran’s ambitions to obtain a nuclear weapon.

The US has previously targeted facilities it said had been used to support Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran has always maintained that it is developing a nuclear power programme only and does not have plans to build a nuclear weapon.

Later, when pressed by the show’s co-host, Martha Raddatz, on whether the US would resort to continued bombing instead of diplomacy, Wright defended US actions in Iran.

“They don’t have the capability to build more missiles,” Wright said. “We’re degrading their capacity to develop nuclear weapons and, ultimately, to deliver them if they develop them.”

However, the former oil executive whose agency oversees the US stockpile of nuclear weapons said that a deal with Iran could be possible under new leadership.

“An agreement may await the next administration in Iran,” he said. “We simply don’t know that.”

The Trump administration official’s comments could signal that US hopes for a nuclear deal are dimming and slipping further out of reach.

After the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran collapsed in July, attacks paused, then resumed, coupled with Iranian closures of the Strait of Hormuz and US naval blockade.

Despite recent exchanges of intense fire between US and Iranian forces, the White House has attempted to minimise the conflict in public remarks.

On Friday, Trump sought to downplay the war in Iran, calling it “small potatoes”. While at a White House news briefing on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance appeared to suggest that the conflict had cooled and to shrug off an alleged US attack on a wedding in southern Iran, saying “ sometimes things happen “.

At a White House briefing this week, Vance said of the conflict that he “wouldn’t call it a war” and there was “no active shooting right now”.

Without offering specifics, Wright on Sunday said the US would “get the job done” in Iran and other nations would be offering their help to bring an end to the war.

“We will work in cooperation with our allies in the region,” Wright said. “I think you’ll see countries from around the world joining this effort as well.”

Al Jazeera has reached out to the White House for comment.

美国能源部长克里斯·赖特的言论可能表明，美国对达成核能协议的希望正在减弱。

美国能源部长克里斯·赖特周三在委内瑞拉举行新闻发布会 [Jesus Vargas/Getty Images]

随着美国和伊朗恢复相互攻击，一位美国高级官员公开淡化了唐纳德·特朗普总统在美国和以色列对伊朗发动战争的最初关键目标之一——签署核协议——的可能性。

美国能源部长克里斯·赖特周日接受美国广播公司新闻采访时表示，“可能不会”达成核协议，这表明美国可能会转而对伊朗任何建设核基础设施的努力发动打击。

问题 1/3：为什么特朗普现在又威胁要打击伊朗的镐山？

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3/3 美国、伊朗卷入油轮战争：这场持续数月的冲突将走向何方？

赖特在ABC电视台的“本周”节目中谈到伊朗获得核武器的野心时说：“这可能只是摧毁了他们实现这一目标的能力。”

美国此前曾对一些据称用于支持伊朗核计划的设施进行打击。伊朗始终坚称，其发展核电项目仅限于此，并无制造核武器的计划。

后来，当节目联合主持人玛莎·拉达茨追问美国是否会继续采取轰炸而不是外交手段时，赖特为美国在伊朗的行动辩护。

赖特说：“他们没有能力制造更多导弹。我们正在削弱他们研发核武器的能力，最终，如果他们研发成功，我们也会削弱他们运载核武器的能力。”

然而，负责监管美国核武器储备的前石油公司高管表示，在新领导层的领导下，与伊朗达成协议是有可能的。

他说：“协议或许要等到伊朗下一届政府上台才能达成。我们对此一无所知。”

特朗普政府官员的言论可能表明，美国对达成核协议的希望正在减弱，并且越来越遥不可及。

7 月美国和伊朗之间的谅解备忘录破裂后，袭击事件暂停，然后又恢复，与此同时，伊朗关闭了霍尔木兹海峡，美国也实施了海上封锁。

尽管美伊军队近期发生激烈交火，但白宫在公开讲话中仍试图淡化冲突的影响。

周五，特朗普试图淡化伊朗战争，称其为“小事一桩”。周四，副总统万斯在白宫新闻发布会上似乎暗示冲突已经降温，并对美国涉嫌袭击伊朗南部一场婚礼的事件轻描淡写，称“有时候事情就是这样”。

本周在白宫简报会上，万斯谈到这场冲突时说，他“不会称之为战争”，而且“目前没有枪击事件”。

赖特周日表示，美国将在伊朗“完成任务”，其他国家也将提供帮助以结束这场战争，但他并未提供具体细节。

赖特说：“我们将与该地区的盟友合作。我认为你会看到世界各国也加入到这项努力中来。”

半岛电视台已联系白宫寻求置评。