In a video posted to social media, Carlson revealed that the interview was conducted remotely through a translator and will be released in the coming days. He acknowledged that the conversation is likely to generate controversy but emphasized his belief that Americans have a “constitutional right and the God-given right to all the information they can gather about matters that affect them.”
He said that instead of pressing for “absolute truth,” the goal of the interview was to allow the public to hear directly from Iran’s leader.
“Can you believe everything you hear from the president of Iran? Probably not. But that's not the point… You should be able to decide for yourself whether you believe it or not,” Carlson said.
Carlson also noted that he also extended an invitation for an interview to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and has done so before.
He also said that he would not be asking questions of the Iranian leader that Carlson did not think he would get an honest answer on, such as the extent of damage to the Iranian nuclear facilities, and added he would ask “simple questions” such as “what is your goal,” and if Iran seeks war with the United States or Israel.
On Friday, President Donald Trump said he would be meeting with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday to discuss Iran. Trump and Israeli officials have stated that recent US strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities have significantly weakened the country’s nuclear program.
President Trump has been adamant about his refusal to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, and has done so publicly many times as a politician as well as a private citizen.
Earlier in the week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General calling on the UN Security Council to hold the United States and Israel responsible for the strikes, per the Daily Mail.
“We officially request hereby that the Security Council recognize the Israeli regime and the United States as the initiators of the act of aggression and acknowledge their subsequent responsibility, including the payment of compensation and reparations,” Araghchi wrote.
