US won’t tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran, energy secretary says amid renewed talks

The United States will not accept a nuclear-armed Iran, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Al Arabiya News in an exclusive interview on Sunday, as backchannel negotiations between Washington and Tehran resumed over the weekend in Muscat, Oman.

“We’re not going to tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran – not just for the Middle East, but for the world,” Wright said, adding that it is “way too early to tell” whether the new diplomatic engagement will lead to a fresh deal.

The talks, held in Oman, mark the first indirect negotiations between the US and Iran since President Donald Trump returned to office. US officials described the discussions as “constructive,” but no formal outcome has been announced.

Wright, who is visiting Riyadh ahead of Trump’s expected trip to Saudi Arabia next month, stressed the need for strong leadership in dealing with Tehran. “We had four years of ‘let’s appease Iran’... What happened? Iranian oil exports surged... you’ve seen what’s happened with Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis and a rapid acceleration of the Iranian nuclear program. None of those were good results.”

He said the current administration would take a different approach. “Now we have a strong, firm leadership in the United States that’s again pro prosperity, pro peace, and a very firm line on Iran.”

Wright’s visit to Saudi Arabia comes as Washington and Riyadh move closer to a broader energy cooperation agreement, including a potential deal on commercial nuclear development.

“In the short run, we’ll sign a broader agreement... Nuclear is certainly one of those areas,” he said. “To get a specific agreement to partner on commercial nuclear development in Saudi Arabia, that’ll take a little bit longer, that’ll be months, not weeks.”

He confirmed that any nuclear cooperation would require a “123 Agreement,” a legally binding framework under the US Atomic Energy Act. “That won’t happen without that agreement... We’ll need a 123 agreement and a broader, specific framework.”

Wright also addressed the sharp decline in oil prices, which dipped below $60 per barrel last week after the US president’s tariffs spooked markets. “Oil prices are... people looking ahead in the marketplace,” he said. “I think what you’re seeing today is... probably an overly large concern about economic growth going forward.”

Despite the drop, he rejected falling prices as an overreaction. “I can’t predict oil prices, that’s for sure... But people always take a trend, however long that trend is, and extrapolate that trend. The world just doesn’t work that way.”

He cited the resilience of the US shale sector – a space he knows well, having previously served as CEO of Liberty Energy, North America’s second-largest hydraulic fracturing company. “The best operators with the best locations have very low break even prices... The lower quality operators that have... lower quality marginal... I mean, resources that are much lower quality, their price to break even is much higher.”

On Russia, Wright said export markets had become a problem for Moscow. “He (Putin) has lost his largest export market for natural gas to Europe. He’s got lower oil prices. He’s become a pariah around the world. I think it’s in Russia’s best interest to get to a peace agreement.”

Asked whether energy diplomacy was truly back on the table, Wright said the message to the Gulf was clear: “American partnership is back. It’s stronger... Our interest is America is a strong, resolute ally. American leadership is going to lead to strong economic growth, which leads to strong growth in energy demand, which is great for energy producers and for energy consumers.”