Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Fox News on Thursday that Iran did not “choose war” with the United States and claimed the country was forced to fight back, while also denying the nation’s nuclear ambitions.
“Is Iran choosing war or a deal? Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked. “We did not choose war. The war was imposed on us. We do not seek war,” Pezeshkian replied.
“Rather, whenever they attack us, we are forced to defend ourselves,” he continued. “We’ve never started a war, but if they wish to keep fighting with us, we will respond strongly, resolutely. And today, the pressures that they keep imposing on us is — so as to force us to surrender outside of a legal framework of international law, which is impossible.”
“So is Iran choosing war or a deal?”@BretBaier presses Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in an exclusive @SpecialReport interview as U.S.-Iran negotiations continue amid heightened tensions.
“We do not choose war. The war was imposed on us. We do not seek war,” Pezeshkian… pic.twitter.com/CIusXvkRyY
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 24, 2026
Baier also asked, “Do you want a nuclear bomb or not?”
“Not at all. Not at all,” he replied. “Our martyred, esteemed supreme leader had announced several times that, from a religious decree, it is unholy. It is illegal.”
These denials, however, clash with U.S. intel about Iran enriching uranium to levels far beyond those needed for civilian energy.
A congressional report from July about Iran’s nuclear weapons production stated: “Since the early 2000s, Tehran’s construction of gas centrifuge uranium enrichment facilities has generated widespread concern in Congress that Tehran is pursuing nuclear weapons.”
“According to past U.S. intelligence assessments, Tehran had the capacity to produce nuclear weapons at some point but had halted its nuclear weapons program and had not mastered all of the necessary technologies for building such weapons,” the report added.
Pezeshkian’s statements are also in direct contradiction with Iran’s actions over the past several decades when it comes to funding terrorist activity against the United States.
A 2021 report by the U.S. State Department outlines various instances in which Iran acted with intent to harm American interests and cited how the nation was “designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism in 1984.”
“Iran continued its support for terrorist-related activity in 2021, including support for Hizballah, Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, and various terrorist and militant groups in Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, and elsewhere throughout the Middle East,” the report stated.
“Iran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to provide support to terrorist organizations, provide cover for associated covert operations, and create instability in the region,” it continued. “Iran has acknowledged the involvement of the IRGC-QF in the Iraq and Syria conflicts, and the IRGC-QF is Iran’s primary mechanism for cultivating and supporting terrorist activity abroad. In 2019, the Secretary of State designated the IRGC, including IRGC-QF, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.”
Additionally, Iran has used “regional militant and proxy groups to provide deniability, in an attempt to shield it from accountability for its destabilizing policies.”
Pezeshkian claimed that Tehran would be willing to lower its enrichment levels and allow outside inspectors to verify their actions, but their inability to come to a deal with American officials has left things in limbo.
“So, that weapon’s mass destruction. We said we’re willing to dilute them. It’s not a big deal. We are willing to submit ourselves to verification,” he said.
Iran’s president also stated that the memorandum of understanding signed by himself and Trump should be used as a framework for the future.
“That agreement was signed, and, based on that, we are willing and still wish to move forward,” he declared. “And the framework was agreed upon. We had not closed the Strait of Hormuz; it was open without any legal justification or framework.”
Trump has been promising an end to the conflict for months, but has been unable to definitively conclude the war.
During the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City on Tuesday, the president said “we’re making a lot of progress” on Iran, but it remains unclear if the conflict will come to a close before the midterm elections.
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