US Energy Secretary: Iran faces harsher sanctions without nuclear deal progress

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued a stark warning to Iran on Tuesday, signaling that the Islamic Republic could face more stringent economic sanctions if it does not engage with President Donald Trump’s administration on its nuclear ambitions.

“So absolutely, I would expect very tight sanctions on Iran, and hopefully drive them to abandon their nuclear program,” Wright told CNBC during a televised interview.

The Energy Secretary is preparing for a nearly two-week diplomatic tour across the Middle East, beginning Wednesday, with scheduled stops in three countries, including Saudi Arabia.

According to a source briefed on the itinerary and quoted by Reuters, this marks Wright’s first official visit to the kingdom, a key member of OPEC.

The interview with Wright aired a day after Trump announced that the US would hold direct talks with Iran on its nuclear program over the weekend.

Despite Trump’s claims that the talks would be direct, Iranian officials said the encounter would involve indirect engagement rather than face-to-face talks.

Iran recently rejected Trump’s offer for direct talks, as outlined in a letter sent by the President to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Trump then warned that “bad things” would happen to Iran if it does not agree to a deal on its nuclear program.

Later, the President warned Iran that “if they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing — and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”

In turn, Khamenei stated that if the US follows through on its threats, it will receive a “strong blow.”