US-Iran Nuclear Tensions: Military Action on the Table

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright indicated overnight Sunday that Washington may prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons even without securing a diplomatic agreement with Tehran. In an interview with ABC News, Wright stated that one option under consideration is simply destroying Iran's nuclear development capabilities.

"There may not be a nuclear deal. It may just be destroying their capabilities to do that," Wright told the network. He added that any agreement "may wait for the next administration in Iran. We just don't know that."

The remarks come amid ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran, with the Trump administration applying severe economic pressure on the regime through sanctions. Following Iranian ballistic missile launches toward American warships, US forces struck back and disabled three Iranian oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman region.

In response to the escalating confrontation, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, announced that "a restricted zone outside the Strait of Hormuz will be declared in the coming days. The zone will begin from the US naval blockade line and include areas in the Persian Gulf. Any ship entering this new zone will be added to the sanctions list."

Rezaei also addressed ongoing negotiations with the United States, stating: "The Americans must earn Iran's trust in order to continue negotiations."

Last week, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declared that the rules of engagement have changed. "From now on, any attack against Iran's interests and security will receive a faster, heavier and more painful response," Ghalibaf said. He emphasized that Iran's central struggle now focuses on production and the livelihoods of its citizens.

Reflecting the mounting pressure, Iran's Ministry of Economy has established an economic warfare headquarters. Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh rejected claims that American pressure would succeed, though the creation of such a command center itself signals the severity of Iran's economic situation.

Following the American strike on the oil tankers, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper issued a stark warning: "Let the message to the Revolutionary Guards be clear: if you fire on two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic price—and disable three of yours."