After eight consecutive days of U.S. strikes on Iran, Power Secretary Chris Wright stated Sunday that the US’ “mission will go on” till President Donald Trump achieves his conflict objectives.
“The president’s mission is important for peace within the Center East and peace on this planet, and that’s to forestall Iran from attaining nuclear weapons, and to degrade their capability to terrorize their neighbors and the world and international commerce. So sure, this mission will go on till the mission is finished,” Wright stated in an interview on ABC Information’ “This Week.”
The newest spherical of strikes got here Saturday after U.S. Central Command introduced that two American service members were killed and one different was lacking after an Iranian assault in Jordan.
Power Secretary Chris Wright seems on ABC Information’ “This Week” on July 19, 2026.
ABC Information
“This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl pressed Wright on whether or not the president deliberate to retaliate additional in response to these deaths.
“It is tragic to lose American lives, however this can be a mission that may save numerous lives going ahead,” Wright stated.
Because the conflict began in late February, 16 U.S. troops have been killed, and tons of have been wounded, in line with the Division of Protection.
After reaching a ceasefire in April, each U.S. and Iranian leaders in mid-June signed a preliminary deal to increase that ceasefire by 60 days whereas negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. However that ceasefire has since fully fallen aside, with each side declaring the memorandum of understanding successfully useless.
When the conflict started, administration officers, together with Wright, stated the operation can be weeks lengthy — not months.
In a March 15 interview on “This Week,” Wright stated, “I believe that this battle will definitely come to the top within the subsequent few weeks. May very well be earlier than that.”
A closely broken bridge which was hit by a U.S. strike is pictured alongside the street connecting Roudan and Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on July 18, 2026.
Amir Hossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP through Getty Photos
“We are actually almost 5 months into this conflict. How does it finish? When does it finish?” Karl requested.
“Nicely, the plan — we wanted 4 to 6 weeks for navy actions. They went for 5 and a half weeks. We did a pause to attempt to get an settlement with the Iranian folks to permit oil to move with out them attacking it. They’ve confirmed unwilling to do this. And we have pivoted,” Wright stated. “Now what we’re doing is assuring that — that oil and fuel and different merchandise can move by means of the Strait of Hormuz, with or with out Iranian cooperation.”
Wright stated that oil is constant to move by means of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The seven-day trailing common proper now could be slightly below seven million barrels a day flowing by means of the waterway and slightly below seven million barrels a day further move by means of the bypass pipelines. So, we’re at a bit of underneath 14 million barrels a day from the Arabian Gulf area. That is two-thirds of preconflict visitors, dramatically up from the place we had been again in March after I was final in your present,” he stated.
However knowledge from maritime monitoring corporations conflicts with Wright’s assertion. On Friday, the firm Kpler said that solely eight vessels had been confirmed to have transited the strait on Thursday, which it stated was the bottom stage in three weeks.
Wright stated that info was fallacious.
“Virtually all the general public knowledge I’ve seen is wrong,” he stated. “We depend the quantity of oil that goes by means of. The ship numbers are down extra dramatically. However, in fact, we’re flowing bigger tankers now to maintain the world markets as effectively provided as we will.”
In a separate interview on “This Week,” Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner blasted the administration’s dealing with of the conflict.
“I see no path within the brief time period how the Strait goes to be settled. This conflict of selection has been a catastrophe. It has been a catastrophe militarily. It has been a catastrophe when it comes to how we’re seen all over the world. It has been a catastrophe to our mates and allies who’ve questioned whether or not we are going to preserve our guarantees,” Warner stated. “I am anxious if it takes a traditional Donald Trump transfer, declare victory tomorrow and be accomplished. However the continuation of this conflict at this tempo might be a seamless catastrophe.”
