VIDEO: Bret Baier Grills Iran’s President On Missing Supreme Leader’s Whereabouts

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sat for an exclusive interview with Fox News host Bret Baier that aired during Thursday’s edition of Special Report. The conversation covered the whereabouts and health of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the status of the conflict with the United States, navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and more.

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, after the opening airstrikes of the U.S. and Israeli campaign. He has not made a confirmed public appearance or released new video addressing the Iranian public or U.S. President Donald Trump since taking office. It has been widely reported that Khamenei was injured in the strikes that killed his father.

Baier asked Pezeshkian about his last in-person meeting with the supreme leader. , “I don’t remember the dates. About a month. A month-and-half ago,” Pezeshkian responded.

“We met for about seven hours. We conducted talks,” he added. Baier then followed up to clarify that Pezeshkian last met with Khamenei a month ago, to which the Iranian president responded in the affirmative.

Baier then asked, “And is he healthy? Is he able to govern?” Pezeshkian answered, “Very much so, completely.” He said his administration is receiving “directions” from Khamenei.

Baier then asked why the supreme leader has not appeared on video. Pezeshkian did not give a direct answer, attributing the absence to a “lack of security that was created by the action of foreigners … the action of aggressors” and said Iran is the victim of terrorism rather than a terrorist regime.

POLL: Do You Approve Of Secretary Of War Pete Hegseth?

EXCLUSIVE: @BretBaier grills the Iranian president on where the Supreme Leader is after not being seen in public in months and whether he is in good health:

BAIER: "You saw him in person a month ago?"

PEZESHKIAN: "Yes."

BAIER: "And is he healthy? Is he able to govern?"… pic.twitter.com/oNpHSzBiSO

— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 24, 2026

On the conflict itself, Baier asked whether the Iranian government was still open to making a deal with the United States. “We do not choose war. The war was imposed on us. We do not seek war,” Pezeshkian answered.

When questioned on whether the fighting could conclude by year’s end, he said, “It’s America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not.” He stated that Iranians “do not wish to fight” and that Iran wants peace.

On the nuclear topic, Pezeshkian claimed that Iran is not seeking to build a nuclear weapon. He said Tehran was willing to dilute highly enriched uranium and that reducing material enriched to 60 percent “it’s not a big deal.”

The president added that Iran seeks an agreement “within the framework of international law and what would rightfully belong to us according to international law.”

The interview took place while Pezeshkian was in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, a day after he addressed the body and after U.S. officials walked out of that speech. No new public video of Mojtaba Khamenei addressing the public was released in connection with the interview.

RELATED: Strait Of Hormuz Traffic Crosses Massive Daily Milestone