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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected June 14, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN:This morning, the Israeli Defense Force conducted strikes successful Lebanon connected Beirut's confederate suburbs to people the Iranian-backed Hezbollah leadership. The IDF called it retaliation for strikes connected Israel. CBS has learned the imaginable US-Iran truce includes a vague notation to ending the warring successful Lebanon, which whitethorn not beryllium capable for Iran's leaders. And Iran's nonaccomplishment to chopped disconnected enactment for its proxy force, Hezbollah, whitethorn not beryllium capable for America's partner, Israel. For the latest, we statesman this greeting with Secretary of Defense Hagseth, who joins america from Tennessee. Mr. Secretary, invited to Face the Nation.
DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH: Good morning, Margaret. Thank you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, did the Hezbollah Israel strikes disrupt immoderate of the plans to person this memorandum signed today. Are we connected way for a Sunday signing?
SEC.HEGSETH : From each I know, we are connected track. It's not a substance of if, it's a substance of when. There's logistics progressive into however these things happen. Ultimately, obviously, we're attuned to what's happening with Hezbollah firing rockets into bluish Israel, which they request to halt doing, and Iran needs to promote them to halt doing that successful precise adamant ways, and Israel was precise measured successful its response, knowing that a woody is on- is- we're connected the verge of a deal. So, I don't expect that to disrupt. I besides accept- expect much robust talks there. The negotiations concern is not truly mine, but I deliberation those talks volition continue, and if Iran wants this to hold, they request to- they request to propulsion backmost Hezbollah, nary doubt.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, this memorandum would beryllium an hold of the ceasefire, arsenic you said, with a committedness to support talking. Given however wide President Trump has been that helium wants to extremity combat, volition the US troops travel backmost home? Will those 2 craft carriers beryllium pulled back?
SEC. HEGSETH: Well, what- Margaret, what I would accidental the president's been astir wide astir is that Iran volition ne'er person a atomic weapon, never. Full stop. And this deal, arsenic we speech astir aspects of the deal, immoderate of which person travel up publicly, are wholly wrong. It is- it's performance-based. No wealth released to Iran until they perform. There's nary spot and verify. There's nary spot present and we're going to verify everything. Nuclear worldly volition beryllium destroyed and removed. The atomic programme volition beryllium dismantled. The straits volition beryllium open. No tolling. This is- this is not a- the JCPOA was a way to a bomb, what this woody volition be, volition beryllium a partition to a bomb, and that was the nonsubjective from the beginning, precise wide from the beginning. So, arsenic acold arsenic our subject posture, we'll support what we request to. The blockade has been a devastating occurrence for america and interaction connected the Iranians.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So--
SEC. HEGSETH: So deliberation of- deliberation of this concatenation of events, militarily, conscionable for a second. You had 45 days of overwhelming combat, which Iran could not manage, and their navy's gone, aerial unit gone, aerial defenses. Then it led to a blockade, which was impenetrable now--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEC. HEGSETH: --for a mates of months. And past you had the underground task Freedom, which allowed, present 125 cardinal barrels of lipid to transit the straits, showing that we power the straits. And past we did 2 much days of bombing due to the fact that they weren't really--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEC. HEGSETH: --coming to the table. So, it's been subject unit and spot from President Trump that's compelled Iran to this deal, which volition beryllium performance-based erstwhile it's signed.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right? But we're not astatine that woody yet. We're not adjacent astatine the memorandum, that's what we're waiting to be- waiting connected being signed today. The US and Israeli militaries, nary doubt, did devastate the accepted military, arsenic you are arguing there, but the IRGC terrorist-controlled regime, they power this country. They would beryllium pocketing the fiscal benefits of being capable to merchantability the lipid if the blockade ends, arsenic you conscionable indicated. They didn't capitulate, they are negotiating. So, however bash you reassure allies who are successful the portion and accidental they inactive consciousness they are astatine risk? Are you keeping the unit posture successful spot done the 60 days of negotiations and beyond?
SEC. HEGSETH: Oh, we'll marque definite the subject enactment is there. And that's the- that's the large quality betwixt this and JCPOA, and the mode Obama did it. Obama, they begged Iran for a deal, and we bombed Iran, and past enactment successful a blockade, and past ran ships through, and past person re- restarted erstwhile indispensable to guarantee that they travel to the array for a large deal, truthful our subject posture volition beryllium immoderate it needs to beryllium to guarantee they're compelled implicit the 60 days done the memorable memorandum of knowing that they unrecorded up to what they said they would do. The papers says Iran volition ne'er person a atomic weapon, won't question one, won't bargain one, won't person one--
MARGARET BRENNAN: JCPOA said that too--
SEC. HEGSETH: They'll beryllium negotiations to marque that final. But they didn't person the menace of subject unit the mode that we do, that Iran respects successful a precise mode that their authorities is much devastated- much devastating, excuse me, much devastated than it's ever been successful its 47 years--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay.
SEC. HEGSETH: --and that's wherefore they're astatine the table. So the immense quality is we did this from a presumption of strength, President Trump led with subject might, that subject mightiness volition enactment arsenic agelong arsenic necessary. You know, if the blockade comes off, past you, you propulsion back, and you let shipping to flow, conscionable similar Iran needs to allow--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay.
SEC. HEGSETH: --shipping to spell done the straits. But we tin drawback that blockade backmost astatine immoderate point, and they can't bash thing astir it, and Iran knows that. And that's wherefore we person the leverage successful these talks, and we anticipation they'll spell well.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, good arsenic I recognize it, the archetypal portion of this woody would impact the clearing and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. How rapidly volition the US blockade connected Iran end? How rapidly volition they beryllium capable to merchantability their oil?
SEC. HEGSETH: Immediately, is what the President has said, and that volition beryllium our anticipation of the Iranians, is that--
MARGARET BRENNAN: So tomorrow, you'll extremity the blockade if they motion it today?
(CROSSTALK)
SEC. HEGSETH:--it's not america that is the occupation here. So, erstwhile it- again, it's performance-based, Margaret, truthful we're not going to- dissimilar Obama, President Trump is astute astir these things, he's not going to conscionable springiness it away. So, yet the blockade volition enactment arsenic the strait opens, and past the blockade volition open, and past the straits open, and if that takes 30 days to afloat mature, oregon 2 weeks to afloat mature, but it volition commencement immediately, arsenic the President has said. And by the way, I deliberation your viewers request to retrieve Project Freedom ne'er stopped, and we've tally 125 cardinal barrels of lipid done the straits, and Iran couldn't bash thing astir it. How galore ships from Iran person transit our blockade? Zero, zero. We person controlled the straits this full time. This--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right, you're going to negociate with them to re--
(CROSSTALK)
SEC. HEGSETH: --immediately and gradually.
MARGARET BRENNAN: --to reopen it. So, okay, you're saying immediately, but Secretary Rubio had said the U.S. would assistance to wide mines from the Strait of Hormuz. You conscionable utilized 30 days as, similar a play of time. Can you wide the mines and region the information threats successful the Strait wrong 30 days?
SEC. HEGSETH: We tin bash immoderate of those things wrong 30 days successful a permissive environment--
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, we can--
SEC. HEGSETH: --so the shot is successful Iran's tribunal astatine immoderate level--
(CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, we would get backmost to pre-war shipping?
SEC. HEGSETH: We are doing things I can't- we're already talking, we're already doing things I can't speech astir connected this program, and- and that to guarantee that harmless transition happens arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, truthful we're each implicit this. We cognize precisely what the dynamics are. Iran astir apt doesn't, due to the fact that they can't spot and consciousness their capabilities astir the strait, particularly these past mates nights were precise devastating for them arsenic acold arsenic their quality to recognize what's going done the strait. So, if they person capabilities and tin bash it, great. If not, if planetary partners who person said they privation to measurement up, privation to measurement up and contribute, great. But erstwhile this woody is signed, our anticipation is that Iran volition halt shooting, you know, drones astatine commercialized shipping.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEC. HEGSETH: It's been them shooting astatine shipping the full time.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, they did that conscionable connected Friday, and successful fact, a drone collided with an Apache chopper past week. They fired drones into Bahrain. They fired missiles astatine a U.S. basal successful Jordan conscionable a fewer days ago. They inactive person the capableness to wounded our friends and partners--
SEC. HEGSETH: And that's wherefore you person to woody with these folks with spot and not conscionable inquire them astatine the table. And it's the subject spot that compelled them to this point, wherever they're making a deal, which volition beryllium large for the information of the United States of America. And that's wherefore this is specified a large moment, and lone President Trump's spot and clarity of ngo to accidental 'no atomic weapon' volition guarantee that present and underneath the MOU, the presumption are acceptable that are performance-based for Iran to guarantee that they ne'er get a atomic weapon. That's what's critical.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, truthful erstwhile the 60 days of negotiations, and I cognize that could beryllium extended, start, that's erstwhile the atomic programme gets dealt with. President Trump posted connected societal media Saturday that quote, "At the due time, erstwhile each is calm, we volition spell successful and get the atomic dust." That's however helium refers to the highly enriched uranium nether the bombed sites. He said, "we'll downblend and destruct it, whether successful Iran oregon the U.S." Is the goal- is the program to person the UN bash each of that?
SEC. HEGSETH: I don't deliberation the UN's been truly effectual successful thing here. We'll grip it arsenic we request to--
(CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: The weapons inspectors successful the IAEA?
SEC. HEGSETH: Ultimately, that could beryllium portion of it. This is- what the world is, is President- President Trump has already acceptable backmost Iran's atomic programme successful devastating ways, from Midnight Hammer to this- to this campaign, to ways that we cognize however much- however acold backmost we've acceptable them. We're watching that worldly arsenic we person this full time, and immoderate arrangement, arsenic I said from the extracurricular of the program, volition beryllium show and metrics based. You'll person inspections, you'll person oversight, whether they're U.S., whether they're international, but it volition beryllium a throttle acceptable by the United States done our negotiators with the subject and spot arsenic the guarantor of this. If Iran does not privation to comply, past they tin woody with the War Department again, which we'd alternatively not person to do, and President Trump would alternatively not person to do, but we know- they cognize the benignant of devastating effects that person occurred connected their subject and connected their aerial defenses and connected their capabilities. They don't privation that again. And so, erstwhile we restruck twice- don't- don't discount however important it was that we were consenting to amusement we volition restart this and we volition acceptable you backmost adjacent further. And that was portion of the crushed wherefore Iran came to the table, and we're going to decorativeness this archetypal MOU to acceptable the clock, truthful that's the- that's the umbrella here--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay.
SEC. HEGSETH: --is we'll enactment with you to region that material, oregon you'll downblend that material, but you're not going to person immoderate of that material, and thing you bash get volition beryllium based connected oversight and performance. And Iran understands that, and that's wherefore I deliberation yet this is thing that tin and volition succeed.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, those are truly important details that inactive person to beryllium negotiated. When I understood what you conscionable said, determination you said the IAEA could beryllium involved. We person reported present astatine CBS that American subject planners had discussed contingencies with U.S. forces and the Department of Energy moving unneurotic to unafraid their atomic materials. Are you saying that astatine the negotiating table, the United States is going to accidental the U.S. subject has to spell successful and cleanable up the atomic dust?
SEC. HEGSETH: Well, I'm, I'm not going to accidental connected a Sunday greeting tv programme what we volition oregon volition not bash successful immoderate context. We'll person each options connected the table, and that's what we've said to President Trump and the American people, and the world, and the Iranians, from the begin- beginning. The entirety of the mightiness of the U.S. War Department is prepared to guarantee Iran ne'er has a atomic weapon. We tin bash it the Midnight Hammer way, we tin bash it the Epic Fur- Fury way, if we request to. Ultimately, Iran volition request to destruct it and region it, downblend it, and we volition beryllium involved, whether physically oregon otherwise, to guarantee that that happens, could beryllium the U.S. military.
SEC. HEGSETH: could beryllium different option. I deliberation our negotiators, our world-class negotiators, are going to person a batch of options. The US subject is bully astatine these types of things, truthful is the Energy Department, and truthful moving with the Iranians to guarantee it's destroyed and removed and their programme is dismantled volition beryllium center.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, it's a- it's an important constituent for those who are members of the U.S. subject to recognize whether you are saying crushed troops would beryllium progressive successful cleaning up atomic dust.
SEC. HEGSETH: That- you're saying that, you're trying to enactment words successful my mouth--
MARGARET BRENNAN:--No, I americium asking you.
SEC. HEGSETH: --to make a headline. What I'm saying is we have- we person plans, no, we person plans for everything, and should the president need, you know, a compel option, we person compel options, and galore antithetic types of compel options. But close present we've acceptable the conditions for 60 days to guarantee that that worldly is downblended, destroyed, oregon removed, immoderate the president decides is successful the champion involvement of the United States of America, and the War Department is determination to enactment that effort.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Let maine inquire you astir Venezuela, due to the fact that determination was besides large quality wrong the past fewer days. President Trump said the U.S. subject killed Niño Guerrero, the person of the Venezuelan pack Tren de Aragua, oregon TdA, successful an airstrike earlier this week. He had been indicted successful the Southern District of New York for galore crimes. I'm wondering, wherefore spell with a onslaught option. Why not snatch and drawback him and marque him look justness successful a US court, similar you did with Nicolás Maduro?
SEC. HEGSETH: I was going to accidental we did that. We've shown we tin bash that erstwhile we did it with Nicolás Maduro, and due to the fact that of that, it created the conditions where, successful concern with the Venezuelan government, this is simply a immense deal. I mean, they invited our subject successful due to the fact that they person a fair- overseas violent enactment connected their ungraded successful Tren de Aragua, the laminitis and leader, and we were capable to place wherever helium was and termination him, conscionable similar we would termination al-Qaeda oregon ISIS, and we did successful the Middle East. We dainty these overseas violent organizations the aforesaid way, conscionable similar we bash with cause boats erstwhile we place they're tally by those FTOs. So that's a large development. I mean, deliberation astir that. President Trump had the foresight to prehend Maduro, alteration the relationship. We person a wholly antithetic vigor dynamic astir the world. By the way, the mode vigor flows today, the straits volition beryllium obscurity adjacent arsenic applicable 1 to 2 years from now, due to the fact that of the foresight of President Trump. He's made america vigor autarkic astatine home, we're export- nett exporter. Now, Venezuela, done our partnerships, present we're sidesplitting overseas violent leaders who person terrorized the American people. The magnitude of drugs and gangs that came--
MARGARET BREANNAN: --Yeah, energy- vigor prices are beauteous precocious close now--
SEC. HEGSETH: --huge deal--
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, I don't cognize that the independency is helping radical astatine the pump--
SEC. HEGSETH: --they are coming down and you've seen it. They are.
MARGARET BRENNAN. We'll speech astir that aboriginal successful the program, but I privation to travel backmost to the Venezuela point, fixed that the U.S. subject conscionable carried retired this operation, should Americans recognize that the US volition stay militarily progressive successful Venezuela? Should they expect akin operations successful places similar Ecuador and Guatemala, wherever the US is moving with their government?
SEC. HEGSETH: Yes, they should. It's called the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, A3C, and we're forming it with spouse governments each astir Central and South America to spell after, defeat, and destruct overseas violent organizations, cause cartels. And each those countries you named are stepping up to enactment connected partnerships with the United States, wherever we enactment with their governments and their militaries with their peculiar capabilities and our peculiar capabilities to hunt violent networks successful our ain hemisphere, conscionable similar we showed we were precise bully astatine with ISIS and al-Qaeda successful the Middle East for 20 years. It's an unthinkable reinforcement of the Monroe Doctrine, present the Donroe Doctrine. We're taking backmost power of our hemisphere and ensuring the poisoning and attacks connected the American radical end. So, it's- it's a beautiful, it's a beauteous subject happening to behold, different countries coming to america to enactment with us, and we're going to instrumentality afloat vantage of it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Let maine inquire you, earlier you go, astir what is going connected with U.S. munitions and stockpiles. Here, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy was connected this programme a fewer weeks ago. He made a plea, not conscionable for much interceptors, but for the quality to nutrient them, for affable governments to beryllium capable to nutrient patriots, immoderate Republican lawmakers enactment this idea. Do you?
SEC. HEGSETH: Nobody makes amended and much munitions than the United States of America, and we are unfastened to co-production wherever we can. And due to the fact that of this administration, we're supercharging our arsenal of freedom, gathering more, gathering faster, opening up the Pentagon, ripping done the Pentagon bureaucracy to unit manufacture to determination faster so--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --but determination are- a crisis--
SEC. HEGSETH: --our stockpiles are beardown and they volition lone get stronger successful the future--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --there is simply a situation with those stockpiles close present successful information an industry--
SEC. HEGSETH: --no there's not--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --you person testified to it successful beforehand of Congress.
SEC. HEGSETH:That is simply a manufactured communicative that the media wants to pedal. And ultimately, we are our stockpiles are great, and they'll lone get stronger due to the fact that of the mode this president has--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --You testified nether oath that it would instrumentality years to rebuild those--
SEC. HEGSETH: --if thing it was the Biden medication that gave distant munitions to the- you don't person to work backmost to maine what I, what I testified, I speculated immoderate munitions instrumentality much clip than others. We've got tons of them, we're gathering much than ever before. The Biden medication gave distant hundreds of billions to Ukraine, and truthful President Trump had to refill, and helium has, and we person successful existent time.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, the reply to Zelenskyy's petition is simply a nary oregon a yes?
SEC. HEGSETH: Ultimately, we've worked with them, and Ukraine is buying munitions that Europe pays for, and it's large to spot Europe yet measurement up and wage for those.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. Well, helium was asking for the quality to produce, but I'll permission it determination for today. Secretary Hegseth convey you for joining us.
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