Wright called the loss of American lives in an Iranian attack "tragic."July 19, 2026, 9:47 AMAfter eight consecutive days of U.S. strikes on Iran, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that the United States’ “mission will go on” until President Donald Trump achieves his war goals.“The president's mission is essential for peace in the Middle East and peace in the world, and that is to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapons, and to degrade their ability to terrorize their neighbors and the world and global commerce. So yes, this mission will go on until the mission is done,” Wright said in an interview on ABC News' “This Week.”The latest round of strikes came Saturday after U.S. Central Command announced that two American service members were killed, and one other was still missing, after an Iranian attack in Jordan.“This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl pressed Wright on whether the president planned to retaliate further in response to those deaths.“It's tragic to lose American lives, but this is a mission that will save countless lives going forward,” Wright said.Popular ReadsSince the war started in late February, 16 U.S. troops have been killed, and hundreds have been wounded, according to the Department of Defense.After reaching a ceasefire in April, both U.S. and Iranian leaders in mid-June signed a preliminary deal to extend that ceasefire by 60 days while negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. But that ceasefire has since completely fallen apart, with both sides declaring the memorandum of understanding effectively dead.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.