June 14, 2026 / 11:28 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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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.
