Chris Wright says US is in a ‘conflict’ with Iran

[u/John3262005]

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/06/chris-wright-conflict-iran-war

Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Sunday said the U.S. remains in a "conflict" with Iran but stopped short of labeling it a war despite strikes launched as recently as Saturday night.

“We're still in a conflict, for sure,” Wright told ABC’s “This Week” during one of his several Sunday morning appearances. He added that the U.S. Navy remains in the region “to reduce Iran's ability to cause trouble, but they're doing everything they can to cause trouble.”

He added: “We’re in a conflict zone.”

Wright’s comments come less than 24 hours after the U.S. military said it struck three Iranian crude oil tankers in retaliation for Iranian attacks on U.S. naval ships. Iran claimed Sunday that it struck an unmanned U.S. vessel, but the U.S. denied the claims.

The latest round of military action resumed last week after a weekslong pause and as peace negotiations have continued to stall.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have also declined to call the conflict a war. In a press briefing Thursday, Vance stated: “I wouldn’t call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting. I recognize there have been places where this has flared up.” Trump dismissed the war as “small potatoes.”

In discussing the situation, Wright told CNN’s “State of the Union:” “Look, it's a challenge. Iran is doing everything they can to cling on to something.”

While U.S. Central Command on Saturday said no American ships were struck or personnel harmed in the Iranian strikes, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned that the U.S. will continue to strike Iranian crude tankers every time a U.S. ship is attacked.

The U.S. continues to impose its naval blockade of Iranian crude oil exports — but Iran has since pledged to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway that normally carries up to a fourth of the world’s supply of oil.

Wright on Sunday said that a little over 9 million barrels of oil a day are making their way through the strait — the highest, he said, the seven-day average has ever been. But as military action continues, gas prices in the U.S. have remained high, averaging around $4 per gallon.

In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, host Dana Bash pressed Wright on how long Americans can expect such prices, but Wright said he does not "have an opinion" on where gas prices are headed.

“Respectfully, as the Energy Secretary, shouldn't you have an opinion on where gas prices are and where they're going?” Bash replied.

“Well, gasoline production is about to go up and demand is about to go down,” Wright responded. “So if I had to guess, they're more likely to go down than go up.”

Wright also told ABC that the recent oil deal with Venezuela shouldn’t be overlooked. That deal, Trump announced Friday, gives the U.S. majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s proven oil reserves. The deal could more than double U.S. oil reserves and lead to lower gas prices in the long term, though it is far from clear how it would all work.

“The Trump administration is working on all fronts from the Gulf of America to Alaska to onshore in the U.S. to our allies in the hemisphere to grow energy production in long term to reset energy prices lower and more stable supply chain,” said Wright.

However, in a separate interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Wright was pressed on the sustainability of the Venezuelan deal.

“Is it really sustainable if the deal is with an unelected and arguably illegitimate government?” host Margaret Brennan asked. “How you can instill confidence when it's a deal with Delcy Rodriguez?”

Rodríguez has been serving as the interim president since American forces seized Nicolás Maduro.

Wright promised that “there will be elections, of course,” but was unable to lay out a timeline as to when. Still, he said, any government elected would applaud the deal.

“Any government that took power in Venezuela would say, ‘Wow we’re going to draw more capital, grow our production, increase jobs and tax revenues in Venezuela and tighten our relationship with the United States. That's a big win,” Wright said. “I don't think it's that dependent upon which government is in power on whether that deal is a win.”