President Trump’s Energy Secretary Chris Wright appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday and was asked by host Kristen Welker, “Why didn’t the U.S. secure the Strait of Hormuz when the war first began in February?”
Wright replied, “It’s about focus. It’s about focus. We wanted to as quickly as possible take away Iran’s military capabilities to defend their airspace, and to destroy their industrial complex. We challenged the long-term things first.”
CNN’s senior national security reporter Zachary Cohen responded: “As we reported in March, the Trump admin failed to fully account for the potential consequences of Iran closing the strait & underestimated their willingness to do so prior to launching the war — leading to what some officials have described as a worst-case scenario.”
As we reported in March, the Trump admin failed to fully account for the potential consequences of Iran closing the strait & underestimated their willingness to do so prior to launching the war — leading to what some officials have described as a worst-case scenario:… https://t.co/KqT1bFzQqB
— Zachary Cohen (@ZcohenCNN) May 10, 2026
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace senior fellow Aaron David Miller, who worked for the U.S. Department of State for 24 years (working for six Secretaries of State as an advisor on Arab-Israeli negotiations), also responded critically to Wright’s interview, writing: “[I] worked intel at State INR for six years. There’s no way the intel community failed to brief this. There was likely no NSC coordination and/or [that] Trump’s advisers didn’t make him aware is a reflection of dysfunction and weakness of his national security team.”
[NOTE: In March Wright told NewsNation: “To win in life, you’ve got to suffer short-term pain for the long-term gain, and that’s what we’re in the middle of doing right now.” He added, “I think the American people will be thrilled with a peaceful world on the other side and more secure supplies of energy for decades to come.”]