Wright says the U.S. is "still in a conflict, for sure" when asked whether it is still at war
U.S. Secretary of Energy, interviewed on ABC's This Week
“We're still in a conflict, for sure. The United States Navy is there to reduce Iran's ability to cause trouble, but they're doing everything they can to cause trouble. And the United States' capabilities to deflect that have continued to grow. But we're in a conflict zone. ... So, this is a conflict. Make no mistake about that.”
Source and context
Interview
About this source
ABC's rush transcript of This Week for September 6, 2026. In the interview, host Martha Raddatz asks Energy Secretary Chris Wright whether the U.S. is still at war with Iran. ABC marks the transcript as possibly not in its final form.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Host Martha Raddatz said the U.S. and Iran had resumed fighting and that it seemed the U.S. was still at war, then asked, "But would you say we're still at war?"
After the quotation
Wright went on to say that a nuclear-armed Iran would be an existential threat to the region and the world economy.
How this statement is classified
Responding to: Vice President JD Vance said he would not call the U.S. fight with Iran a war, saying there is no active shooting right now and that major combat operations lasted about six weeks.
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
Wright does not adopt the word war, which is consistent with Vance's wording, but he says the U.S. is in a conflict and a conflict zone with Iran causing trouble, which does not endorse Vance's picture of no active shooting. Because the statement combines those two positions, mixed or conditional fits better than defends or excuses.
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Is the U.S. fight with Iran a war, as Vice President Vance says it is not?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
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