The following is the transcript of the interview with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on June 14, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN:This morning, the Israeli Defense Force conducted strikes in Lebanon on Beirut’s southern suburbs to target the Iranian-backed Hezbollah leadership. The IDF called it retaliation for strikes on Israel. CBS has learned the potential US-Iran truce includes a vague reference to ending the fighting in Lebanon, which may not be enough for Iran’s leaders. And Iran’s failure to cut off support for its proxy force, Hezbollah, may not be enough for America’s partner, Israel. For the latest, we begin this morning with Secretary of Defense Hagseth, who joins us from Tennessee. Mr. Secretary, welcome to Face the Nation.
DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH: Good morning, Margaret. Thank you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, did the Hezbollah Israel strikes disrupt any of the plans to have this memorandum signed today. Are we on track for a Sunday signing?
SEC.HEGSETH : From all I know, we are on track. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. There’s logistics involved into how these things happen. Ultimately, obviously, we’re attuned to what’s happening with Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel, which they need to stop doing, and Iran needs to encourage them to stop doing that in very adamant ways, and Israel was very measured in its response, understanding that a deal is on- is- we’re on the verge of a deal. So, I don’t expect that to disrupt. I also accept- expect more robust talks there. The negotiations business is not really mine, but I think those talks will continue, and if Iran wants this to hold, they need to- they need to pull back Hezbollah, no doubt.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, this memorandum would be an extension of the ceasefire, as you said, with a promise to keep talking. Given how clear President Trump has been that he wants to end combat, will the US troops come back home? Will those two aircraft carriers be pulled back?
SEC. HEGSETH: Well, what- Margaret, what I would say the president’s been most clear about is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, never. Full stop. And this deal, as we talk about aspects of the deal, some of which have come up publicly, are totally wrong. It is- it’s performance-based. No money released to Iran until they perform. There’s no trust and verify. There’s no trust here and we’re going to verify everything. Nuclear material will be destroyed and removed. The nuclear program will be dismantled. The straits will be open. No tolling. This is- this is not a- the JCPOA was a path to a bomb, what this deal will be, will be a wall to a bomb, and that was the objective from the beginning, very clear from the beginning. So, as far as our military posture, we’ll maintain what we need to. The blockade has been a devastating success for us and impact on the Iranians.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So–
SEC. HEGSETH: So think of- think of this chain of events, militarily, just for a second. You had 45 days of overwhelming combat, which Iran could not manage, and their navy’s gone, air force gone, air defenses. Then it led to a blockade, which was impenetrable now–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEC. HEGSETH: –for a couple of months. And then you had the underground project Freedom, which allowed, now 125 million barrels of oil to transit the straits, showing that we control the straits. And then we did two more days of bombing because they weren’t really–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEC. HEGSETH: –coming to the table. So, it’s been military pressure and strength from President Trump that’s compelled Iran to this deal, which will be performance-based when it’s signed.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right? But we’re not at that deal yet. We’re not even at the memorandum, that’s what we’re waiting to be- waiting on being signed today. The US and Israeli militaries, no doubt, did devastate the conventional military, as you are arguing there, but the IRGC terrorist-controlled regime, they control this country. They would be pocketing the financial benefits of being able to sell the oil if the blockade ends, as you just indicated. They didn’t capitulate, they are negotiating. So, how do you reassure allies who are in the region and say they still feel they are at risk? Are you keeping the force posture in place through the 60 days of negotiations and beyond?
SEC. HEGSETH: Oh, we’ll make sure the military option is there. And that’s the- that’s the big difference between this and JCPOA, and the way Obama did it. Obama, they begged Iran for a deal, and we bombed Iran, and then put in a blockade, and then ran ships through, and then have re- restarted when necessary to ensure that they come to the table for a great deal, so our military posture will be whatever it needs to be to ensure they’re compelled over the 60 days through the memorable memorandum of understanding that they live up to what they said they would do. The document says Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, won’t seek one, won’t buy one, won’t have one–
MARGARET BRENNAN: JCPOA said that too–
SEC. HEGSETH: They’ll be negotiations to make that final. But they didn’t have the threat of military force the way that we do, that Iran respects in a very way that their regime is more devastated- more devastating, excuse me, more devastated than it’s ever been in its 47 years–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay.
SEC. HEGSETH: –and that’s why they’re at the table. So the huge difference is we did this from a position of strength, President Trump led with military might, that military might will stay as long as necessary. You know, if the blockade comes off, then you, you pull back, and you allow shipping to flow, just like Iran needs to allow–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay.
SEC. HEGSETH: –shipping to go through the straits. But we can snap that blockade back at any point, and they can’t do anything about it, and Iran knows that. And that’s why we have the leverage in these talks, and we hope they’ll go well.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, well as I understand it, the first part of this deal would involve the clearing and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. How quickly will the US blockade on Iran end? How quickly will they be able to sell their oil?
SEC. HEGSETH: Immediately, is what the President has said, and that will be our expectation of the Iranians, is that–
MARGARET BRENNAN: So tomorrow, you’ll end the blockade if they sign it today?
(CROSSTALK)
SEC. HEGSETH:–it’s not us that is the problem here. So, when it- again, it’s performance-based, Margaret, so we’re not going to- unlike Obama, President Trump is smart about these things, he’s not going to just give it away. So, ultimately the blockade will stay as the strait opens, and then the blockade will open, and then the straits open, and if that takes 30 days to fully mature, or two weeks to fully mature, but it will start immediately, as the President has said. And by the way, I think your viewers need to remember Project Freedom never stopped, and we’ve run 125 million barrels of oil through the straits, and Iran couldn’t do anything about it. How many ships from Iran have transit our blockade? Zero, zero. We have controlled the straits this entire time. This–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right, you’re going to negotiate 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 help to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz. You just used 30 days as, like a period of time. Can you clear the mines and remove the security threats in the Strait within 30 days?
SEC. HEGSETH: We can do any of those things within 30 days in a permissive environment–
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, we can–
SEC. HEGSETH: –so the ball is in Iran’s court at some level–
(CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, we would get back 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 talk about on this program, and- and that to ensure that safe passage happens as quickly as possible, so we’re all over this. We know exactly what the dynamics are. Iran probably doesn’t, because they can’t see and sense their capabilities around the strait, especially these last couple nights were very devastating for them as far as their ability to understand what’s going through the strait. So, if they have capabilities and can do it, great. If not, if international partners who have said they want to step up, want to step up and contribute, great. But once this deal is signed, our expectation is that Iran will stop shooting, you know, drones at commercial shipping.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEC. HEGSETH: It’s been them shooting at shipping the entire time.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, they did that just on Friday, and in fact, a drone collided with an Apache helicopter last week. They fired drones into Bahrain. They fired missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan just a few days ago. They still have the capacity to hurt our friends and partners–
SEC. HEGSETH: And that’s why you have to deal with these folks with strength and not just ask them at the table. And it’s the military strength that compelled them to this point, where they’re making a deal, which will be great for the security of the United States of America. And that’s why this is such a big moment, and only President Trump’s strength and clarity of mission to say ‘no nuclear weapon’ will ensure that now and underneath the MOU, the terms are set that are performance-based for Iran to ensure that they never get a nuclear weapon. That’s what’s critical.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, so once the 60 days of negotiations, and I know that could be extended, start, that’s when the nuclear program gets dealt with. President Trump posted on social media Saturday that quote, “At the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the nuclear dust.” That’s how he refers to the highly enriched uranium under the bombed sites. He said, “we’ll downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran or the U.S.” Is the goal- is the plan to have the UN do all of that?
SEC. HEGSETH: I don’t think the UN’s been really effective in anything here. We’ll handle it as we need to–
(CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: The weapons inspectors in the IAEA?
SEC. HEGSETH: Ultimately, that could be part of it. This is- what the reality is, is President- President Trump has already set back Iran’s nuclear program in devastating ways, from Midnight Hammer to this- to this campaign, to ways that we know how much- how far back we’ve set them. We’re watching that material as we have this entire time, and any arrangement, as I said from the outside of the program, will be performance and metrics based. You’ll have inspections, you’ll have oversight, whether they’re U.S., whether they’re international, but it will be a throttle set by the United States through our negotiators with the military and strength as the guarantor of this. If Iran does not want to comply, then they can deal with the War Department again, which we’d rather not have to do, and President Trump would rather not have to do, but we know- they know the type of devastating effects that have occurred on their military and on their air defenses and on their capabilities. They don’t want that again. And so, when we restruck twice- don’t- don’t discount how important it was that we were willing to show we will restart this and we will set you back even further. And that was part of the reason why Iran came to the table, and we’re going to finish this initial MOU to set the clock, so that’s the- that’s the umbrella here–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay.
SEC. HEGSETH: –is we’ll work with you to remove that material, or you’ll downblend that material, but you’re not going to have any of that material, and anything you do get will be based on oversight and performance. And Iran understands that, and that’s why I think ultimately this is something that can and will succeed.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, those are really important details that still have to be negotiated. When I understood what you just said, there you said the IAEA could be involved. We have reported here at CBS that American military planners had discussed contingencies with U.S. forces and the Department of Energy working together to secure their nuclear materials. Are you saying that at the negotiating table, the United States is going to say the U.S. military has to go in and clean up the nuclear dust?
SEC. HEGSETH: Well, I’m, I’m not going to say on a Sunday morning television program what we will or will not do in any context. We’ll have all options on 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 might of the U.S. War Department is prepared to ensure Iran never has a nuclear weapon. We can do it the Midnight Hammer way, we can do it the Epic Fur- Fury way, if we need to. Ultimately, Iran will need to destroy it and remove it, downblend it, and we will be involved, whether physically or otherwise, to ensure that that happens, could be the U.S. military.
SEC. HEGSETH: could be another option. I think our negotiators, our world-class negotiators, are going to have a lot of options. The US military is good at these types of things, so is the Energy Department, and so working with the Iranians to ensure it’s destroyed and removed and their program is dismantled will be center.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, it’s a- it’s an important point for those who are members of the U.S. military to understand whether you are saying ground troops would be involved in cleaning up nuclear dust.
SEC. HEGSETH: That- you’re saying that, you’re trying to put words in my mouth–
MARGARET BRENNAN:–No, I am asking you.
SEC. HEGSETH: –to create a headline. What I’m saying is we have- we have plans, no, we have plans for everything, and should the president need, you know, a compel option, we have compel options, and many different types of compel options. But right now we’ve set the conditions for 60 days to ensure that that material is downblended, destroyed, or removed, whatever the president decides is in the best interest of the United States of America, and the War Department is there to support that effort.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Let me ask you about Venezuela, because there was also big news within the past few days. President Trump said the U.S. military killed Niño Guerrero, the leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, or TdA, in an airstrike earlier this week. He had been indicted in the Southern District of New York for many crimes. I’m wondering, why go with a strike option. Why not snatch and grab him and make him face justice in a US court, like you did with Nicolás Maduro?
SEC. HEGSETH: I was going to say we did that. We’ve shown we can do that when we did it with Nicolás Maduro, and because of that, it created the conditions where, in partnership with the Venezuelan government, this is a huge deal. I mean, they invited our military in because they have a fair- foreign terrorist organization on their soil in Tren de Aragua, the founder and leader, and we were able to identify where he was and kill him, just like we would kill al-Qaeda or ISIS, and we did in the Middle East. We treat these foreign terrorist organizations the same way, just like we do with drug boats when we identify they’re run by those FTOs. So that’s a great development. I mean, think about that. President Trump had the foresight to seize Maduro, change the relationship. We have a totally different energy dynamic around the world. By the way, the way energy flows today, the straits will be nowhere near as relevant one to two years from now, because of the foresight of President Trump. He’s made us energy independent at home, we’re export- net exporter. Now, Venezuela, through our partnerships, now we’re killing foreign terrorist leaders who have terrorized the American people. The amount of drugs and gangs that came–
MARGARET BREANNAN: –Yeah, energy- energy prices are pretty high right now–
SEC. HEGSETH: –huge deal–
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, I don’t know that the independence is helping people at the pump–
SEC. HEGSETH: –they are coming down and you’ve seen it. They are.
MARGARET BRENNAN. We’ll talk about that later in the program, but I want to come back to the Venezuela point, given that the U.S. military just carried out this operation, should Americans understand that the US will remain militarily involved in Venezuela? Should they expect similar operations in places like Ecuador and Guatemala, where the US is working with their government?
SEC. HEGSETH: Yes, they should. It’s called the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, A3C, and we’re forming it with partner governments all around Central and South America to go after, defeat, and destroy foreign terrorist organizations, drug cartels. And all those countries you named are stepping up to work on partnerships with the United States, where we work with their governments and their militaries with their special capabilities and our special capabilities to hunt terrorist networks in our own hemisphere, just like we showed we were very good at with ISIS and al-Qaeda in the Middle East for 20 years. It’s an incredible reinforcement of the Monroe Doctrine, now the Donroe Doctrine. We’re taking back control of our hemisphere and ensuring the poisoning and attacks on the American people end. So, it’s- it’s a beautiful, it’s a beautiful military thing to behold, other countries coming to us to work with us, and we’re going to take full advantage of it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Let me ask you, before you go, about what is going on with U.S. munitions and stockpiles. Here, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy was on this program a few weeks ago. He made a plea, not just for more interceptors, but for the ability to produce them, for friendly governments to be able to produce patriots, some Republican lawmakers support this idea. Do you?
SEC. HEGSETH: Nobody makes better and more munitions than the United States of America, and we are open to co-production wherever we can. And because of this administration, we’re supercharging our arsenal of freedom, building more, building faster, opening up the Pentagon, ripping through the Pentagon bureaucracy to force industry to move faster so–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –but there are- a crisis–
SEC. HEGSETH: –our stockpiles are strong and they will only get stronger in the future–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –there is a crisis with those stockpiles right now in fact an industry–
SEC. HEGSETH: –no there’s not–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –you have testified to it in front of Congress.
SEC. HEGSETH:That is a manufactured story that the media wants to pedal. And ultimately, we are our stockpiles are great, and they’ll only get stronger because of the way this president has–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –You testified under oath that it would take years to rebuild those–
SEC. HEGSETH: –if anything it was the Biden administration that gave away munitions to the- you don’t have to read back to me what I, what I testified, I speculated some munitions take more time than others. We’ve got lots of them, we’re building more than ever before. The Biden administration gave away hundreds of billions to Ukraine, and so President Trump had to refill, and he has, and we have in real time.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, the answer to Zelenskyy’s request is a no or a yes?
SEC. HEGSETH: Ultimately, we’ve worked with them, and Ukraine is buying munitions that Europe pays for, and it’s great to see Europe finally step up and pay for those.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. Well, he was asking for the ability to produce, but I’ll leave it there for today. Secretary Hegseth thank you for joining us.
