ERBIL () - Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said in an exclusive interview with CBS News Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on Friday that Iran would allow UN nuclear inspectors into the country, that Tehran will abide by whatever it commits to if the US accepts its latest Hormuz proposal, and that there is an atmosphere of distrust between Iran and the United States that makes a direct meeting with President Trump difficult, in the most substantive Iranian presidential interview since the war began.
"If they operate according to that framework, I think all of us will abide by it,"Pezeshkian said of the original US-Iran memorandum of understanding, adding that if the US accepts the latest Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, "Iran would abide by whatever we commit to."
Iran Will Allow Nuclear Inspectors
In the interview's most significant single disclosure, Pezeshkian confirmed that Iran would now allow UN nuclear inspectors into the country. When Brennan asked directly whether Iran will allow weapons inspectors in, Pezeshkian replied: "That is absolutely correct."When pressed again, he repeated: "That is absolutely correct,"adding, "If they wish to come in and have inspections, we can reach accords and agreements vis-à-vis that specific topic within the negotiations."
At the same time, Pezeshkian maintained that Iran is not trying to build a nuclear weapon. "Developing nuclear weapons is haram,"he said, using the Arabic word for forbidden, adding that even if some in Iran wanted to build a nuclear weapon, "religiously speaking, they are not allowed to pursue that path."
The Atmosphere of Distrust
When asked whether he would have been willing to meet President Trump in New York, an idea the US leader had raised, Pezeshkian pointed to a fundamental breakdown in bilateral trust. "There is an atmosphere of distrust that has developed between Iran and the United States,"he said. "As long as they don't cease doing what they're imposing on us every day, it's difficult to trust them. Every day, they increase the sanctions against us. Every day, they threaten us. Every day, 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?"
Pezeshkian suggested he would need to know "what exactly we want to reach an understanding on"before committing to a direct meeting, running through a list of occasions when the US attacked Iran while negotiations were underway.
He blamed the US for the collapse of the June 17 memorandum of understanding, which he described as having fallen apart in July after Iran targeted commercial shipping vessels and the US responded by carrying out attacks on Iran. Trump has said in the past that Iran must stop enriching uranium entirely, a more hardline stance than the Obama-era nuclear deal that allowed enrichment at low levels with international inspection and limits on program size.
On the Hormuz Proposal
Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi proposed this week at the UNGA sidelines to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after seven days and restart talks with the US as an initial step toward a final nuclear deal. The US has yet to respond to the proposal. Trump said Saturday that the current Iranian offer is not acceptable, though he acknowledged Iran wants a deal and that he likes making deals.
When Brennan asked when Iran expects a US response, Pezeshkian said: "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."
Supreme Leader's Health
Brennan asked Pezeshkian about Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the US-Israeli attack that killed his father Ali Khamenei earlier in the year. Pezeshkian insisted the new supreme leader has no specific ongoing health issues or challenges, saying they last met twice, with one meeting lasting over seven hours. He described them as seated for those many hours, changing angles and positions because they were unaccustomed to sitting so long. "From a medical standpoint, he's completely healthy,"Pezeshkian said, adding that injuries to his face and legs have recovered. "Hear this from me as a physician, and accept it. He has no issues."
When asked whether Mojtaba Khamenei is advising Pezeshkian on diplomacy, the president explained that decisions are made by a team of six members from various organizations including security forces, parliamentary representatives, and government agencies, who coordinate and consult before reaching conclusions.
When Brennan noted how remarkable it was that Iranian officials were in a country they are at war with, having been in shelters only months earlier, Pezeshkian pushed back. "We were not in a shelter a few months ago,"he said. "If we were in a shelter, nothing would have gotten done."
