US energy secretary says we can stop Iran's oil exports

(Corrects to make clear that the United States does not export oil to Iran)

By Yousef Saba

ABU DHABI (Reuters) -U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Friday that the United States could step up pressure on Iran and stop its oil exports as part of President Donald Trump's plan to pressure Tehran over its nuclear programme.

The January return to the White House of Trump, who in his first term withdrew the United States from a 2015 power accord with Tehran and clamped down on its oil exports, has again brought a tougher approach to the Middle Eastern power over its nuclear work.

Wright, speaking to Reuters during a visit to Abu Dhabi, said he thought the Gulf allies of the United States were extremely concerned about a nuclear-powered Iran and shared the U.S. resolve that this is an outcome that is in no one's best interest.

Iranian oil exports recovered under Joe Biden, who became president after Trump's first term, and so far in 2025 have yet to show a decline, according to industry data. China, which opposes unilateral sanctions, buys the bulk of Iran's shipments.

"That's actually very doable. President Trump actually did it in the first term," Wright said when asked how the United States can enforce its maximum pressure policy on Tehran. "We can follow the ships leaving Iran. We know where they go. We can stop Iran's export of oil.

"I’m not going to talk about the specific methodology of how that’s going to happen. But can we turn the screws on Iran 100%," he said when asked if the United States would stop Iranian ships at sea.

Iran said on Friday that it was giving high-level nuclear talks with the United States on Saturday "a genuine chance" after Trump threatened bombing if discussions failed.

Wright also predicted that there would be a positive outlook for oil demand and supply in the next few years under Trump's policies, and the concern of markets about economic growth will be proven wrong.

(Reporting by Yousef Saba in Abu Dhabi; Writing by Alex Lawler in London; Editing by David Evans and Mark POrter)