Wright says U.S. mission shifted to Strait of Hormuz oil flow
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that the U.S. mission in the nearly five-month war with Iran has pivoted toward ensuring oil shipments can move through the Strait of Hormuz, as he defended the Trump administration’s strategy on ABC’s “This Week” after being confronted with his earlier predictions that the conflict would have ended by now.
“We did a pause to try to get an agreement with the Iranian people to allow oil to flow without them attacking it,” Wright said. “They’ve proven unwilling to do that, and we’ve pivoted. Now, what we’re doing is assuring that that oil and gas and other products can flow through the strait of Hormuz with or without Iranian cooperation, and we’ve continued to degrade their offensive military capabilities.”
On the same program, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia criticized the administration’s handling of the conflict, which began in February. Warner called it a “war of choice” launched without an imminent threat and argued the administration has failed to accomplish its previously stated objectives.
“Regime change, how are we doing there? We got a worse crowd than before,” Warner said of Iran. He said the enriched uranium the U.S. sought to secure from Iran to prevent it from building a nuclear weapon is “still there,” adding: “Matter of fact, it would take a minimum of 15,000 troops on the ground for a week to try to take these canisters, which are quite volatile, out of their bunker.”
Warner also said that “getting rid of Iran’s missile and drone capability — obviously, we’ve not been successful there” because the conflict continued Sunday. “The continuation of this war, at this pace, will be a continuing disaster,” he said.
The latest American casualties came as a renewal of the U.S. campaign against Iran entered its second week, leading to intensified fighting around the Strait of Hormuz. Two U.S. troops were killed in Jordan on Friday, bringing the total number of American service members killed in the conflict to 16. After the deaths, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed the military campaign would continue, writing on social media that the service members’ “sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”
Trump on Sunday escalated pressure on Iran, writing on Truth Social that “Republicans should add Iran to the Russian Sanctions Bill. That’s what Lindsey wanted to do, and it was going to happen. IMPORTANT!!!” — alluding to the unexpected death on July 11 of Sen. Lindsey Graham, his ally. The move would further weaken the memorandum of understanding between the two countries signed in June that included an agreement to end sanctions for Iran.
The U.S. launched retaliatory strikes on Sunday against Iran’s Revolutionary Guards after the killings of the two troops.
MSI previously reported that Trump’s shifting Iran-war messaging has left officials and markets confused, with the administration repeatedly adjusting its stated objectives as the conflict has stretched into its fifth month.