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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Iran argumentation expert Karim Sadjadpour and erstwhile CENTCOM commandant and CBS News contributor and reitred Gen. Frank McKenzie that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected March 29, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: For much connected the ongoing warfare successful Iran, we're joined by Iran argumentation expert Karim Sadjapour, arsenic good arsenic erstwhile CENTCOM commandant and CBS News contributor, retired General Frank McKenzie, who joins america this greeting from Tampa. Good greeting to you both, Kareem, fto maine commencement with you contiguous successful Islamabad, you person Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, these aforesaid proclaimed mediators gathered unneurotic to speech astir however to de-escalate the war. Iran, truthful far, hasn't responded to the 15 points the Trump medication enactment forward, and Rubio said he's not adjacent definite who they'd beryllium negotiating with. So what is the world of who we're negotiating with, and are we adjacent negotiating
KARIM SADJADPOUR: Well, Margaret, this is simply a regime, Islamic Republic of Iran, which came to powerfulness successful 1979 taking American diplomats hostage. And present they deliberation they person the planetary system hostage, and they're warring a warfare of survival. They're besides warring a warfare of revenge against President Trump. So astatine the moment, they don't consciousness compelled to compromise, it seems, due to the fact that the inclination lines are, lipid prices are going up, American nationalist sentiment astir the warfare is going down, and galore of these leaders that we're hoping to negociate with are close present surviving underground, warring for their lives.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, to your constituent connected that difference, that asymmetric quality successful powerfulness General, I privation to bring you successful here, due to the fact that 1 of the things that Iran had been waiting to bash was activate its militias, oregon the militias it supports successful Yemen, the Houthis, implicit the weekend, they jumped into the combat and fired connected Israel. Do you deliberation that this is simply a crippled changer, fixed that they could not conscionable disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, but different passageway done the Red Sea?
GEN. FRANK MCKENZIE: Margaret, I don't deliberation it volition beryllium a crippled changer. Their quality to onslaught Israel is rather limited. Yes, they volition person the quality to further halt dilatory postulation done the Bab el Mandeb, going up into the Suez Canal. We person the quality to spell down determination and forestall that. It volition necessitate further resources, but we person those resources, and we tin surely bash it if that becomes necessary.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the President has made wide that helium needs to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. His connection has been contradictory connected immoderate of these points arsenic to who's going to bash it and when. What's the subject world of making it passable?
GEN. FRANK MCKENZIE: We're connected our mode to doing that now, Margaret. This is portion of a program that's been successful beingness for galore years. What we're doing close present is we're reducing Iranian quality to people ships successful the strait done their abbreviated scope missiles, their drones and different activities. We bash that by maintaining aerial superiority implicit confederate Iran connected a 24/7 basis, looking for wherever these missiles are and striking them relentlessly. Once we trim those to a precise debased level, past you'll beryllium capable to spell in, if necessary, expanse for mines. I'm not definite they enactment mines successful the h2o yet. I foretell yet they will. It's their nature, but we person the quality to bash this. We're on, we're connected plan. I'll beryllium honorable with you. Margaret, I've simulated this galore years successful galore positions astatine Central Command, we're a small further on than we would person expected to beryllium astatine this constituent successful each the simulations that I've seen.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I'm going to conjecture successful your simulations, you looked astatine what would hap to the Strait of Hormuz, adjacent though the President said nary 1 ever thought of it, you thought of it, didn't you?
GEN. FRANK MCKENZIE: The U.S. subject thinks of a batch of things. We surely person thought of the Strait of Hormuz retired of Kharg Island. Think of each those islands connected the confederate littoral of Iran.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Kareem, the president, said the Israelis killed the 2nd tier pragmatist types that helium had thought helium mightiness beryllium capable to spell and negociate with. In caller days, the sanction that has emerged is the Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf. What bash we cognize astir him? Is helium idiosyncratic you tin marque a woody with?
KARIM SADJADPOUR: Ghalibaf is, importantly, a erstwhile elder Revolutionary Guard Commander and a adjacent advisor to Mojtaba Khamenei. Under antithetic circumstances helium is idiosyncratic who aspires to beryllium Iran's modern strongman leader. I've really met him successful the World Economic Forum successful Davos, conscionable the information that helium shows up successful Davos shows you a small spot astir his worldview. But nether the existent circumstances, nary 1 successful that Iranian strategy is susceptible of changing the longtime ideology of antipathy toward America and toward Israel, adjacent if they wanted to.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Explain that, if you would, due to the fact that what we perceive from the White House and from Israel is that unit volition interruption them. You're saying they're unbreakable?
KARIM SADJADPOUR: At the moment, and this could alteration successful the future, but we haven't seen immoderate cracks successful the regime's resolve. We haven't seen immoderate cracks, cracks successful the cohesion of its information forces, and fixed the information that truthful galore of its apical officials, including the Supreme Leader, person been killed, it's a authorities which is not prepared to compromise oregon alteration its ideology. They really judge that antipathy towards America is portion of their identity, and if you capitulate connected that, it really doesn't prolong your support life, it really could hasten your death.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So if there's not a negotiated settlement, however does this end?
KARIM SADJADPOUR: I don't spot immoderate anticipation of a solution to this conflict. I deliberation the US and Iran are miles isolated erstwhile it comes to their, their goals here. Now, I deliberation we could spot a imaginable cease occurrence that opens the Strait of Hormuz, which would displacement this backmost from a blistery warfare backmost to a acold war. But there's nary possibility, successful my view, truthful agelong arsenic this authorities is successful power, of a US, Iran, normalization.
MARGARET BRENNAN: General, bash you hold with that assessment? I mean, it does look that the Trump medication is acknowledging the authorities volition enactment if they are astatine slightest offering to negociate with the authorities truthful it would let for them to stay successful power.
GEN. FRANK MCKENZIE: The superior extremity of Iranian statecraft, Margaret, is endurance of the regime. Back successful the precocious 1980s they signed a truce with Iraq erstwhile things were going precise atrocious for Iran. In Iranian past is known arsenic drinking from the poison chalice. I judge that they volition break. I judge that they volition travel to terms. And it whitethorn beryllium an imperfect solution, but I deliberation it would beryllium 1 that would see opening the Strait of Hormuz, perchance immoderate woody connected the missiles, connected the rocket systems, the atomic programme is surely a possibility, but I judge yet they'll marque a deal. But we request to support the unit up. We request to proceed to property them precise hard, due to the fact that that is, successful fact, the lone happening they volition respond to.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So the President had posted he's postponed the deadline to unfastened the Strait of Hormuz arsenic a effect of the Iranian authorities asking for it. He says helium shifted that to April 6 astatine 8pm. We besides perceive from the caput of authorities that helium is talking to the allies astir a station struggle necessity of having different countries assistance to fundamentally constabulary the strait. And helium said that you volition request tankers to person subject escorts. So this doesn't dependable similar this is simply a abbreviated word project. This sounds similar adjacent if combat ends, we're going to beryllium talking astir a subject beingness successful the portion for immoderate time. Am I wrong?
GEN. FRANK MCKENZIE: Margaret, you could beryllium right. Let's spot what happens. I deliberation a negotiated- determination are 2 ways the Strait of Hormuz tin beryllium opened. It tin beryllium opened if the Iranians negociate with america to unfastened it. And of course, that's the desired solution. The different solution would be, if they don't, and they determine to fight, we tin unfastened the strait nether that information too. The 2nd information is evidently a batch much intensive successful presumption of ships and instrumentality that would person to bring into the region, and yes, assistance from our allies would surely be, would beryllium precise utile successful that case. We person the quality to unfastened the Strait of Hormuz nether immoderate information that the Iranians take to beryllium under.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Does it look to you that 1 of the contingencies that the White House is readying for, fixed that they're continuing to determination troops into the region, and you person these Marines who are moving into the country arsenic well. Are they preparing for a crushed unit presence? And what does that look like?
GEN. FRANK MCKENZIE: Margaret, for galore years, we've considered options on the confederate seashore of Iran, seizing islands, seizing tiny bases, typically raids. And a raid is an cognition with a planned withdrawal. You're not going to stay. But immoderate of those islands you could prehend and hold, that would person a mates effects. First of all, it would beryllium profoundly humiliating for Iran, and would springiness america large value successful negotiations. The second, the illustration of Kharg Island, which everyone talks about. If you prehend Kharg Island, you truly tin unopen down the Iranian lipid system completely. And the quality of seizing it is you're not destroying it. You're retaining it for further usage by the planetary system and perchance for instrumentality to Iran nether definite conditions. So each of these things, this is not backmost of the, these are not backmost of the envelope calculations. These are things we've been moving connected for galore years, and I deliberation we're close to endanger the full littoral to clasp each these options retired there. And I deliberation the President's connection is spot connected erstwhile helium talks astir each these alternatives.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But tin helium execute his goals without crushed troops, which is what the Secretary of State says. And however does this end? How bash you telephone this a success?
GEN. FRANK MCKENZIE: Sure, I deliberation a occurrence looks similar the Strait of Hormuz is open. We get immoderate benignant of woody connected the ballistic rocket program, immoderate benignant of woody connected the atomic program. That's astir apt astir arsenic overmuch arsenic you could anticipation for. But I deliberation they're precise discreet things that, for me, astatine slightest from an operational subject perspective, would be, would look similar victory. I judge each of those things are really wrong our grasp. We conscionable request to continue. Iran volition yet respond to the usage of force. They cognize and recognize it, possibly amended than we have, we person successful the past. This medication is consenting to usage force. Other administrations person been thoroughly deterred by Iran. President Trump is not deterred by Iran?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah. Well, the President says helium wants a deal, adjacent though I cognize you deliberation that's going to beryllium beauteous hard to get to and helium said Vice President Vance is going to beryllium straight progressive here, Karim. What does that awesome to you?
KARIM SADJADPOUR: Well, the Iranians really privation to negociate with Vice President Vance for a mates of reasons. Number one, they deliberation helium comes from the anti-war helping of the Republican Party. And fig two, they deliberation due to the fact that of the information that JD Vance wants to tally for president, he's incentivized to privation to wrapper this warfare up beauteous quickly. And I hold with thing General McKenzie said, which is we cognize implicit the past 5 decades that this authorities is lone compromised nether truly wide circumstances, erstwhile it faces existential unit coupled with a wide diplomatic exit. I deliberation it's feeling existential pressure. I don't deliberation they've yet seen a wide diplomatic exit.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, gentlemen, convey you some for lending america your expertise for this conversation. We'll person to permission it there. We'll beryllium backmost successful a moment.
English (US) ·