The following is the transcript of the interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian airing on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sept. 27, 2026. It was recorded on Sept. 25.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. President, thank you for making the time for us.
PRESIDENT MASOUD PEZESHKIAN: In the name of God, the most gracious and the most merciful, I greet you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Here in New York, Iran’s foreign minister presented a proposal to the United States through mediators that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz after seven days if Tehran’s conditions were met. At that point, talks about ending the war would begin, and possibly talks about the nuclear program. When do you expect to get a response from the United States?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: If this message reaches the President of the United States, or the interviewers and those involved in the discussions, naturally the process will begin from the very day they accept it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: What would be the conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: We had previously reached an agreement based on the MOU that was signed in Pakistan. I signed it, and the President of the United States signed it, and we were proceeding based on that agreement.
We could have continued it, but unfortunately, because of the lack of coordination, the process was interrupted.
Now, in fact, there is a framework along the same path, with the same objectives that were established. Ultimately, the requests that were included in that memorandum and MOU have now been broken down into stages so that we can proceed according to those stages. If the United States agrees to proceed in that way, everything will return to the way it was before. Because right now, it’s the United States that has blocked our way, and naturally, Iran has also blocked the way from its side. These are things that both sides need to open up first; then we can sit down at the negotiating table and discuss other issues at hand.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you and President Trump signed this deal back in June, but it fell apart because of the disagreement on the shipping lanes, and then the military, the IRGC, began firing on ships, taking what they called an unauthorized route. Has all that been ironed out? And will Iran charge money for passing through that strait?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: The issue that we had reached an understanding on should, in principle, have been handled according to that understanding. And we are still committed to this MOU and willing to implement it. Naturally, problems may arise along the way. Any process of conflict resolution needs to proceed through dialogue, with some patience and tolerance. But unfortunately, this understanding did not materialize. The deviation from the agreement could have been resolved through dialogue, but ultimately it turned into the breakdown of the understanding. We could have reached this point by talking and resolving the issues. Waiting for a month would not have been difficult. If they had waited for a month, the path would have been reopened automatically in accordance with that understanding, and the remaining stages of the MOU could have continued. But the urgency that developed in the process created a problem.
MARGARET BRENNAN: If President Trump accepts this proposal, can you guarantee your military will abide by it?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Obviously, we will abide by whatever we commit to. What caused the disagreement in this process, and what led to the dispute along this path, was the failure to reach an agreement that they were supposed to honor, but they did not. The routes that we had agreed upon were supposed to be determined between Iran and Oman, with their coordination, for passage and transit. Basically, if a ship was going to pass outside of those routes, it was supposed to coordinate with them. They didn’t, and unfortunately, it led to a confrontation.
If they operate according to that framework, I think all of us will abide by it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, President Trump said he was open to meeting with you when you were here. That didn’t happen. Would you be willing—if you want direct communication—would you be willing to speak directly with him? To meet with him?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: You see what the issue is…now, the atmosphere of distrust that has developed between Iran and the United States is because we have had several rounds of talks with the United States. We reached an understanding on the JCPOA, and after months of negotiations, the U.S. president tore it up, even though we had reached an agreement. Then, after we took responsibility, we sat down and resumed talks with them. In the middle of the negotiations, they attacked us. The bombing began, and the conflict in Iran intensified. Israel came in, and then the United States joined Israel. They martyred many of our commanders and officials, as well as our scientists. Then, after the war, we sat down and resumed talks with them again. Once again, during the talks, they martyred our Supreme Leader, our commanders, and our scientists. They attacked a school and killed and injured innocent children—around 168 schoolchildren who were innocent—and destroyed infrastructure. And after all of that, we sat down and held talks with them again. In the course of those talks, we once again reached an understanding, and once again they broke it. So we are in a situation where we don’t know what language we need to–
MARGARET BRENNAN: So no, you wouldn’t meet with him?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Basically, we need to determine now what exactly we want to reach an understanding on. If we don’t abide by what we have written down as necessary, can we really resolve it through dialogue? We wrote it down and signed it. It’s clear.
The first thing that needs to happen is that the distrust created by this war has to be overcome. We need to abide by what we have written down. The United States needs to show that it does not intend to overthrow our government or our administration. Put yourself in our position. Imagine someone came and martyred your Supreme Leader. And then, not abide by everything you had agreed upon. What would be your reaction? It’s not something that can be resolved that simply.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So the offer that you are making for diplomacy, is it now to begin talks about putting limits on Iran’s nuclear program but not fully abandoning that program?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Of course, we agree. We had already reached an understanding on this in our previous talks.They struck it down, we’re not supposed to develop nuclear weapons. Within the framework of the NPT and the other existing frameworks, all of these issues are matters that can be agreed upon. Unfortunately, they are disregarding the rights that international law grants to all countries.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Under international law, including the Non-Proliferation Treaty your country signed, though, inspectors would be allowed in from the UN. Will you allow them in now to settle those concerns?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: That is absolutely correct. According to those very international laws, when there are nuclear centers under the inspections and auspices of the IAEA within the NPT framework, no country has the legal right to attack those nuclear centers and sites. But America and Israel carried out the act of attacking them. Now the agency itself, rather than its strong condemnation, showed absolutely no reaction. Why is it that centers and sites that were completely under their unprecedented surveillance and inspections regime, perhaps they had the most surveillance on those centers. We had no deviation from that framework. Why did they attack it in the first place?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the IAEA said they were not being given full access. UN inspectors weren’t being allowed in. They said they couldn’t guarantee the peaceful nature of your program, and say now you have 440 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium. So they want to be able to verify that that won’t be made into a weapon. Will your country allow in weapons inspectors now?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: That is absolutely correct.
This occurred after America chose to tear up the JCPOA. Iran waited for one year in order for the European counterparts to live up to their commitments within the JCPOA. They failed to do so.
Iran left the JCPOA and continued on the path that it saw fit.
Now, if they wish to come in and have inspections, we can reach accords and agreements vis-à-vis that specific topic within the negotiations. Not for them now to come and inspect those existing frameworks again.
MARGARET BRENNAN: For this new negotiation now–
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. So there has been a lot that has changed. There is now a new Supreme Leader. How often do you consult with him, and what decisions has he made?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: You see, thus far I have met with the Supreme Leader on two occasions, we’ve had encounters. And there is also a process that unfortunately, now, with this situation that exists in the country created by the Israelis and Americans. I mean, they have created an unrest in the process of the managers, they have in fact created a terrorist government. Israel, for any country, whoever it wants, with the capabilities that it has and with the support that America gives it, comes and assassinates them. Then the people that they assassinate, they call them terrorists. The kids who were studying in school were terrorists, our Supreme Leader is a terrorist, the scientists who were performing scientific work at the university were terrorists. They very easily come and assassinate, then they get up and leave, then they tell the world, “we are fighting terrorists.”
MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you saying this because you’re explaining why we haven’t seen the Supreme Leader now? No pictures have been seen of him since he came to power in March–
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: One of the reasons that exists is that, in any case, they are, within the framework of the process, looking to find the sites, whenever they want. We were having talks, they assassinated them. Again, there is no point in talking again for them to come and assassinate them. I mean, there is no security and no guarantee that they will stop these assassinations of theirs. We were talking with each other, if we have those same talks now, it’s not clear whether they will come and assassinate them again or not.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But I’m asking you about the new Supreme Leader because there are questions about how your government is functioning right now.
When you met, you said twice with the Supreme Leader. What did you ask him for? Did you ask his permission to come here to America?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Well, see, coming to America doesn’t necessarily require a permission, as you put it. We have informed them that we are coming. Our trips are at the volition of the government.
Of course, within the framework of conducting the affairs of the office that we occupy, we are free to travel as deemed necessary. The political frameworks, also now, this is what we are saying — the clauses that exist: seven days from now this will happen, five days from now this will happen. The coordination has taken shape. If America accepts this understanding, it will begin, and we will not have a problem.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You said you met twice with the Supreme Leader. You’re a doctor by training. You’re a physician. What did you make of his recovery from the injuries he sustained in the U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed his father and his family?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: No, there’s no specific ongoing health issues or challenges. On the last occasion when we met for seven-plus hours, of course we were not used to being in seated positions for those many hours. We changed angles and positions, we crossed our legs and so on. But, of course, he was healthy enough to be able to withstand those hours of that situation. From a medical standpoint, he’s completely healthy. Hear this from me as a physician, and accept it. He has no issues. They targeted an entire family—about whom they kept saying they’re living underground, they’re escaping, they’re in hiding. How is it that they claim the high ground when it comes to human rights and humanity?
MARGARET BRENNAN: But the Supreme Leader, you said, was able to conduct this meeting. He has- his legs and his face have recovered?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: He was able to sit on the ground?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Did he advise you on this diplomacy? Does he want a deal with the United States?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Everything that we spoke of and about and had discussions about were shaped through coordination.
There is a team that has been put in place in Iran, consisting of six members of various organizations, security forces, parliamentary representatives, government agencies, and they sit and conduct talks, consultations about decision-making processes, and reach any decisions through coordination.
This has taken place quite comfortably in our country.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I ask because it’s extraordinary you are here. You are the first foreign leader to visit the United States during the U.N. — during an active war.
A few months ago you were sheltering from those U.S. and Israeli strikes that you’re talking about. And yet you’re here in New York City with a U.S. visa right now. And American security is protecting you.
Why did you think coming here was worth the risk?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: We were not in a shelter a few months ago. How did we manage the country- we- we–
MARGARET BRENNAN: From the airstrikes from the U.S. and Israel?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: We were only not within the target range. I was going to perhaps three ministries every day and conducted meetings with the ministers. During what was happening, around the twenty second of Bahman*, or in these matters, I was in the streets. It’s not as if we were in a shelter. If we were in a shelter, nothing would have gotten done.
We have put our lives on the line for the nation, for our people, we don’t want anything from the world other than for the world to treat us with justice and dignity.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It is still extraordinary you are standing here right now and talking to me. Given that our two countries are at war. Your oil exports are blockaded, your foreign accounts are frozen for Iran, inflation has skyrocketed, Iran’s economy is under so many sanctions.
You ran on trying to improve the economy for everyday people. At what point does all of this financial pain become too much and you have to make concessions to the United States?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: You see, this is also an inhumane and savage act committed by those who are in power in the various countries that are participating in this attack. With the imposed sanctions- if they block access to food and medication, who are they truly targeting? The sick, the elderly, the indigent, the downtrodden?
They claim that they’re proponents of human rights, they think about humanity. If they’re at war with us or noncivilians, what business do these people have with civilians? What the U.S. is committing is a war crime. What we do in our country, we know, for the news that you’re distributing, and the reports that you share, it’s not a true reflection of reality.
Right now our people are living with dignity. They are enduring hardship. For seven months, people have been taking to the streets and expressing their disgust with what America is doing. And what America and Israel are doing in the world is genocide.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But respectfully, the world powers—not just the United States—are saying they could lift some of those sanctions if Iran chooses, your government chooses, to go in a different direction and give up any ambition to have a nuclear weapon.
That’s the cost.
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Look–
MARGARET BRENNAN: So are we at that point where those concessions need to be made? Where Iran says, I will not in the future–
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: You–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –pursue a weapon, and allow in inspectors and give up hopes—
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Are you aware of the previous conversations that we’ve conducted when did we ever say that we are seeking nuclear weapons?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: They have martyred a Supreme Leader that according to his clerical decree–
**CROSSTALK**
MARGARET BRENNAN: Iran has always said you’re not seeking a nuclear weapon. Intelligence agencies–
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Developing- developing- nuclear weapons is haram. From a standpoint of belief, not from a legal perspective. Even if some individuals in Iran may have the incentive to develop nuclear weapons, religiously speaking, they are not allowed to pursue that path. America came and killed it. We were sitting and talking and we had reached an agreement, why did they attack? America’s intention is not to resolve the issue. America’s intention is to overthrow our administration. Israel says it in their own speech, what they’re doing is neutralizing the government, not negotiating.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But your job is to improve the lives of the Iranian people.
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Yes. We are doing everything humanly possible, but not through bullying and coercion intended to force us into submission. We’re already negotiating. Why are they concurrently attacking us?
According to what logic do they have the right to do so? We’re negotiating, why do they attack us? What sin did we commit for them to attack us?
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to—You’ve talked about the civilian impact, and I’d like to ask you about that because the U.N. Human Rights Council says there are grounds to believe that U.S. airstrikes were responsible for hitting that girls’ school in Minab that killed some of the children that you have referred to here. That very same report, though, says Iran’s guilty of crimes against humanity for violent crackdowns on your own people—on your own protesters. Do you accept all of those findings?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: The speech given by Mr. Trump, your own president, in which he admitted to arming instigators to take to the streets, have you heard of it or not heard of it? When they cause sanctions, when they cause social upheavals, problems and sanctions, poverty grows in one place. Then they hire these people and they have armed some of them. More than 500 security and military forces in a demonstration, apparently they say it was a simple demonstration, in what demonstration 500 security and military forces get murdered? They were attempting a coup. When that coup attempt failed, they imposed the 40 day war. It’s the same people who are in the streets. Those people who are in this way- if these people are really seeking human rights, in Gaza with the support of the US they have killed 70,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. They’re doing this in Lebanon. Where is human rights? What is the awakened consciousness of the world doing?
MARGARET BRENNAN: You said publicly—you apologized. You said, “We are ashamed before the people, and we are obligated to assist all those who were harmed in those incidents.”
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You saw what happened in your own country as wrong, that’s the way that sounds–
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: You see–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –how those protesters were treated.
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: The issue is how we should have dealt with this. If we had handled it correctly, perhaps we would not have allowed those who had taken up arms to come into the streets.
Because in the midst of all this, some innocent people were killed. There were people who were genuinely protesting. But those who were carrying weapons in the streets had mixed in with them, and they started the fighting, began destroying things, and killed members of the military. These were no longer ordinary people.
And it was in the course of all this that, ultimately, a problem occurred that should not have occurred.
MARGARET BRENNAN: There are two Americans determined to be wrongfully detained in Iran. One of them is a journalist in Evin prison—his name is Reza Valizadeh.
Why not release the Americans as a sign of goodwill towards the United States to rebuild the trust you say is lost?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Do you think by setting them free, we can rebuild trust?
Do you think the United States of America is genuinely interested in solving problems with us? Why, then, does it bomb us in the middle of negotiations? Why does it come and kill our scientists, officials and people?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Why not test it?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Test it? We’ve done it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Make a gesture—
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: We have done it. Before that, the United States had several of these prisoners and we released them. The understanding was that they would release our money. We did our part. Several of the people they had asked for were released. The money came from South Korea and Qatar was supposed to transfer it to us. When we did our part, the United States did not follow through. We tested it, but it didn’t work. The United States gets what it wants and then doesn’t honor its commitment. That’s the situation we have today. In other words, we gave our money- we did what the United States asked us to do, but the United States did not do what it was supposed to do. Even now, we remain committed. We don’t want to fight, but certainly, if they strike us, we will defend ourselves.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. President, I’m told we are out of time. But just to ask you again, would you meet with President Trump? Would you take the extraordinary measure of inviting him to Iran? Something to bring this to a conclusion.
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Look, first of all, you know what the situation is like in Iran. What they have done to us, to our people, has made people extremely upset. Imagine if someone came into your country and assassinated your president, some of your top officials, and your scientists, if you were in our position, what would you do? And yet, here we are. We’re still talking. We’re still engaging in dialogue and we’re still making our demands within the framework of international law. We’re not asking for anything more than that. We’re not seeking war. War was imposed on us. They martyred some of the best people in our country. We have put things in writing. We’ve signed agreements. We’ve made commitments. Let them implement what they agreed to so that we can have confidence that this process can work. Let them abide by what was written. And then, we can sit down closely and resume negotiations.
MARGARET BRENNAN: There are threats against President Trump and his family from Iran as well. But how do you move on? How do you get to a deal?
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Look, look, if in Iran think if something happens to the family. We in the government do not want to dominate- if we intended to do so, we wouldn’t be sitting at the negotiating table. We wouldn’t have sat together. The fact that some people are saying these things is coming from indignation. They’re deeply upset. The Supreme Leader is not simply a leader of the government, the president, or a politician. There are tens of millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of people in the region who believe in and follow our leader. They martyred our leader. You saw what they did in Iraq and Pakistan. This is a matter of faith, so based on that faith, people can’t accept what was done. Hypothetically speaking, let’s say in Iran they want to assassinate. From the standpoint of the government, if that were what we intended to do, we would not be sitting at the negotiating table.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you’re saying it’s too politically difficult to meet with the president, then.
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Until trust is restored. As long as they don’t cease doing what they’re imposing on us everyday, it’s difficult to trust them. Everyday, they increase the sanctions against us. Everyday, they threaten us. Everyday, they strike us. And they don’t honor what they have put in writing. So if they engage in talks, will they actually follow through? They don’t honor what they’ve signed. How can we believe that if we talk the problem would get resolved?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. President, I am out of time here. We appreciate your time today. And perhaps a deal can be reached despite everything you just laid out.
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: We hope that happens and peace is established in the region. And that the United States stops supporting Israel, which is carrying out what we consider genocide and acts on the basis of justice and fairness. They should not drive people from their homes, kill innocent people, or target children, hospitals, and scientists.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And they would say the same to their regional neighbors and to the United States. Thank you.
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: We’re all friends with our neighbors. They have inflicted the war on us. We have no intentions of having any conflict, we can join hands and develop the region.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. President, thank you for your time today.
PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: Thank you, all the best.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This refers to the Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution
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