Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," March 8, 2026
On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, moderated by Margaret Brennan:
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright
- Michael Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the U.S.
- Robert Costa, CBS national correspondent and chief Washington analyst
- Sen. Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia
- Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S.
Click here to browse full transcripts from 2026 of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
MARGARET BRENNAN: I'm Margaret Brennan in Washington.
And this week on Face the Nation: As the war on Iran enters its second week, concerns about a global energy crisis are growing.
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(MAN SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
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MARGARET BRENNAN: U.S. and Israeli forces stepped up their bombing campaign through the weekend, targeting Iranian airports, oil depots, bases and more. President Trump promises an escalation of hostilities until Tehran offers a complete and unconditional surrender.
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DONALD TRUMP (President of the United States): It's when they cry uncle or when they can't fight any longer, there's nobody around to cry uncle.
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MARGARET BRENNAN: But Iran's defiant leaders say they will never surrender, hitting back hard at U.S. facilities now, as in the region, striking oil and gas infrastructure, putting pressure on much of the world's energy supply.
We will ask Energy Secretary Chris Wright about the potential for a serious global supply shock and what it could mean for oil and gas prices in the U.S.
Plus, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Michael Leiter, will be here. We will ask him how his government's objectives square with U.S. goals.
And we will also check in with Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine.
Then: an offer from Ukraine. This time, they want to help the U.S., offering expertise in countering Iranian drones. Ukraine's Ambassador Olga Stefanishyna will join us to discuss that and more.
It's all just ahead on Face the Nation.
Good morning, and welcome to Face the Nation.
As we look ahead to another week, the war with Iran seems to be entering a new phase, with critical infrastructure now being targeted in the region that could potentially impact millions of people. President Trump called the conflict a minor excursion and has not yet indicated the next steps.
But there are signs America's involvement in the conflict is deepening. A third aircraft carrier is preparing to deploy to the region. And when asked whether he would send ground troops to secure nuclear material in Iran, the president wouldn't rule it out.
We begin our coverage this morning with chief correspondent Matt Gutman, who is in Tel Aviv, Israel.
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MATT GUTMAN (voice-over): For seven days, the U.S. and Israel targeted regime leadership and military installations. But, overnight, towering flames cast an eerie orange glow over Tehran after Israel struck what it said was an Iranian military fuel depot, drivers on this highway detouring around the flames.
Video circulating seems to show sewers and streets on fire as well, this morning, those fires still burning under blackened skies, a huge plume hanging over the city. And with over 1,300 dead in Iran, according to the Red Crescent, the country's clerics have now announced they are close to selecting a new leader. Support has recently crystallized around Ayatollah Khamenei's hard-line son Mojtaba. Israeli
Prime Minister Netanyahu's adviser Michael Eisenberg with a blunt message.
MICHAEL EISENBERG (Adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu): I know the highest-risk job right now is to be the new ayatollah. That's a high- risk job. To be the head of the Iranian military, the IRGC, those are high- risk jobs. Don't take them.
MATT GUTMAN: They're going to be targeted?
MICHAEL EISENBERG: Don't take those jobs. These are high-risk jobs. We're watching you.
MATT GUTMAN: The president has demanded a say in the selection of Iran's next leader, and Israel's Netanyahu using an address overnight to directly speak to the Iranian people.
(PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
MATT GUTMAN: He said: "I have been speaking to you and for you for decades. The moment of truth is approaching, for we do not seek to divide Iran. We seek to liberate Iran and live with it in peace."
In Lebanon, Iran's main proxy in the region, Hezbollah, has stepped up rocket and drone fire at Israel, overnight, most of that intercepted.
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MATT GUTMAN: In response, Israel has ordered some 300,000 residents of Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut to flee, taking out building after building.
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MATT GUTMAN: Margaret, a short time ago, a bomblet from one of those cluster munitions landed in that building behind me. You can see it flung a car up in the air. They're now in the process of moving it.
Israeli authorities telling me that Iran is now relying more heavily on those cluster munitions, which spread out those bomblets high up in the atmosphere, and they're finding those much more difficult to stop – Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That's Matt Gutman in Tel Aviv.
We turn now to senior foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tyab, who's in Doha, Qatar.
IMTIAZ TYAB: Well, Margaret, as the war between the United States, Israel and Iran intensifies, countries here in the Gulf continue to be targeted in Iranian attacks, including Kuwait City this morning, where a strike set the country's main social security headquarters on fire.
Now, the UAE, Bahrain and other Gulf states say their air defenses are still intercepting Iranian missiles and drones almost every single day, some of those strikes also targeting at least one vital water desalination plant, which would be a grave violation of international law.
Now, on Saturday, Iran's president promised to stop striking Gulf countries. He even apologized, but said only if attacks on Iran did not come from their territory. Now, it has to be said most Gulf states host major U.S. bases, making that condition almost impossible to meet.
The ongoing attacks has also triggered this huge economic shockwave right across this oil-rich region and has seriously disrupted energy production. Saudi Arabia has had to halt operations at a key refinery and is shifting exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, where about one-fifth of the world's oil normally flows.
Iraq has had to shut some oil fields, and the UAE and Kuwait have begun scaling back production. Here in Qatar, the energy minister has warned, if the conflict continues, oil prices could surge to $150 a barrel.
Now, overnight, President Trump spoke to the emir of Qatar, who emphasized to the president the – quote – "need for diplomacy" and the need to de- escalate the situation. The question now is whether the Trump administration can keep global energy moving while this war continues, Margaret, or whether the economic shock spreads far beyond the battlefield and into Americans' wallets.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That's our Imtiaz Tyab.
Well, we turn now to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who joins us this morning from Denver.
Good morning to you.
CHRIS WRIGHT (U.S. Energy Secretary): Thanks for having me, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, 50,000 U.S. troops deployed, six Americans that we know of so far killed in action, civilians stranded. We look at our polling, Mr. Secretary, and we see that this is an unpopular war among the majority of Americans.
More than half of them, 56 percent, disapprove. When you speak to energy executives about the scope and duration of American involvement, what do you tell them? How long?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Well, I tell them that, for 47 years, Iran has warged – waged war against the United States.
And they've – throughout that 47 years, they've tried to undermine the energy development and energy infrastructure of all their neighbors, as they're doing right now, and it's time to put it to an end. So, yes, we have a – we have a temporary period of elevated energy prices, but it will not be long.
In the worst case, this is weeks. This is not months. And it leads to a much better place. It leads to an Iran that's defanged, that can't threaten its neighbors, can't threaten American soldiers and can't continue to drive up energy prices by making a mess of the Middle East. They can move to commerce, not conflict.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, but you have the moment we are in right now, and, as you know, gasoline prices up 14 percent in the past week, according to AAA, reports the national average is $3.45. We've seen oil prices spike.
How high do you think oil and gas are going to go?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: They shouldn't go much higher than they are here, because the world is very well supplied with oil. There's no energy shortage at all in the Western Hemisphere.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: The United States is a net exporter of oil, a large net exporter of natural gas. But refineries in Asia and Europe are seeing an interruption from the normal crude flows.
But there is massive energy stores around the world. What you're seeing is emotional reactions and fear that this is a long-term war. This is not a long term-war.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But…
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: It's a temporary movement.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Sorry. Go ahead. Temporary movement?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: No, I'm saying, look, we've seen previous administration have done everything they could. They begged, bartered and bribed the Iranian government to stop its nefarious activity, stop its murderous behavior, and it simply hasn't worked.
And now they're – they're expanding missile and drone program that are rapidly growing to protect their desire to build a nuclear weapon.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So…
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: We're going to cross the threshold where we can't put them back in the box. Now is the time to end their risk to America and the world.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But, as you know, when I ask you about energy prices, this is not a supply problem. You said there's plenty of supply.
The head of the International Energy Agency said: "Lot of oil. Logistics are the problem. It's dislocation. It's a serious problem."
So, what he's referring to there is being able to actually move it around. I know you said there's – there's one vessel that's gone through the Strait of Hormuz; 20 million barrels per day typically go through it. When do you get back to that level?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Oh, I think it will be relatively soon.
Of course, I don't know exactly. All of our military assets right now are focused on ending Iran's ability to kill their neighbors, threaten American soldiers and threaten ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, but that's going swimmingly well. Their missile launches are down 90 percent. The drone launches are down over 80 percent.
I think, in the relatively near term, you're going to see their capacity so low that we'll see more normal ship traffic return to the Strait of Hormuz.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you don't think Navy escorts of vessels are necessary?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Oh, they might be. They might be. The U.S. is here to do everything we can to keep world oil markets supplied.
MARGARET BRENNAN: When will you make that decision?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Yes, if they have some residual – oh, we're – we're in engagement right now with people that want to get tankers moving out of the Gulf.
And so, yes, there could be there – early tankers probably will involve some direct protection by the U.S. military, but most important is to defang their ability to threaten these ships.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, the president had said he was open to tapping the American stockpile of oil, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, but I saw you on other networks this morning kind of throwing cold water on the idea. You referred to it as depleted.
Are you saying America doesn't have adequate stockpiles?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: No, America still has over 400 million barrels of oil in our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and, of course, robust production.
We're – we're more than happy to use that if it's needed. But, as you said earlier, it's a logistics issue. Where do they need oil? They need oil at refineries in Europe and in Asia. And that's why we took a very pragmatic step. There's over 100 million barrels of floating Russian crude waiting in line to deliver to China.
That's going to be sold. It's going to be refined. But that could be one or two months from now. So, in a pragmatic way, with no change in U.S. policy towards Russia, we told the Indians, bring that into your refineries. You know, if you – if you're feeling a shortage of crude, prices are being bid up, draw down that Russian crude stocks that are sitting right offshore.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. So, on that point, the U.S. has temporarily suspended some sanctions to make that Russian oil you say was already going to be sold anyway, make it available.
But doesn't Russia still financially benefit from that? Why isn't the U.S. seizing those Russian tankers, if they are our adversary?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Because, right now – because, right now, we're worried about Iran and fixing a 47-year problem there, and we're worried about American consumers. We want to stop the rise in…
MARGARET BRENNAN: Russia was helping Iran…
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: … gasoline and diesel prices. Well, there's been rumors of that. We don't know if that's true or not. Certainly, they've gotten a strong message from us.
But this is oil already on the ocean.
MARGARET BRENNAN: These Iranian drones have Russian parts in them. The Russians have been buying Iranian drones. That is very well-documented.
And CBS has confirmed and reported that there was sharing of intelligence, Russia providing intel to target Americans. So how is Russia not part of this?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: Look, Rus – Rus – Russia is expert at causing trouble around the world. So I'm not saying they're not. I'm saying I don't – if they're helping Iran, it's not working very well.
But we're not helping Russia by just accelerating the sale of their oil to stop the rise of energy prices and keep European and Asian refineries in oil. We're just doing pragmatic things to get through a short period that will bring in an era of even lower energy prices, because a major energy- producing region of the world, the Middle East, will no longer have a strong, powerful Iran that can threaten their neighbors, that can threaten the United States of America and was not far away from a nuclear bomb.
MARGARET BRENNAN: How much…
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: That's an unacceptable scenario. That's the risk to energy prices was not doing anything.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So – so, when the Qataris say you could see $150 barrel in oil, that's something America could stomach? President Trump wouldn't say, I'm done with this war because I can't stand the political pressure and the American people saying, I don't like what I'm paying at the pump?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: No, the president's going to continue to stay focused on ending a 47-year conflict, stay focused on growing the global energy supply.
This is actually part of that effort. It does involve a temporary impediment to energy production. But, on the other side, it will allow much more energy production and much lower energy prices. But this is not a long-term conflict. Most presidents have just thought, ah, they'll kick the can down the road.
The risk is simply too great to kick that increasingly dangerous can down the road.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: President Trump's bold leadership is, enough's enough. We're going to put it to an end.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about Venezuela. The U.S. deposed Maduro. He's sitting in a prison.
Just this past week, though, we had the interior secretary visiting Venezuela and sitting across from Maduro's chief thug, Diosdado Cabello. This is someone who has a $25 million bounty on his head. He ran the prisons. He ran the militias. He was treated as a counterpart to an American official.
Is this the same playbook the Trump administration is going to run in Iran, that you will deal with the same regime you've been telling me is terrible to deal with for 47 years?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT: We don't know what the regime will be in place at the – at the end of this conflict.
But we do know that regime will not have a massive weapons arsenal. That – that regime will no longer be a massive threat to Americans and to the Middle East and to global oil supplies.
President Trump is using bold leadership. We can't change the world at a blink of an eye, but we can steer it in massively positive directions. And, yes, Venezuela is a great example of that. Crime in the nearby Trinidad and Tobago has plummeted already from our actions in Venezuela and President Trump's insistence that he's going to work with that – our neighbors to reduce drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.
Leadership takes – involves risks, but if you want to drive improvement, you've got to be confident, you've got to have the right agenda, and you've got to have the courage to do it. This president does.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Energy Secretary Wright, thank you for your time this morning.
Face the Nation will be back in a minute. Stay with us.
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MARGARET BRENNAN: And we're joined now by Israel's ambassador to the United States, Dr. Michael Leiter.
Welcome to Face the Nation.
MICHAEL LEITER (Israeli Ambassador to the United States): It's good to be with you. Good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, your prime minister and the American president speak daily, according to President Trump. Have they agreed to beginning and ending the war on the same timeline?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: We have been collaborating now for months, I would say, even prior to Rising Lion, Midnight Hammer in June.
And that collaboration includes daily conversations in which there's an assessment of how the war is progressing. And I assume that we're going to reach a complete understanding on the end of this war as well.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you believe and trust that America will stay with Israel through the duration of this, even if there are strains in the American economy, like gas prices?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: We have reached a level of collaboration that we have never seen between our two countries and between our two militaries.
This is a very important operation that doesn't depend really on a timeline. You know, when you're doing something that's so critical, you're not going to look at a stopwatch. This has to be finished. This is a terror-sponsoring state that has to be brought down. And that's what we're focused on.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you agree with the U.S. assessment from the secretary there? He said this is just a matter of weeks?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: We believe so. We're seeing cracks in the edifice of this military security terror regime. They're starting to have very grave difficulties in conveying orders down through the system.
There's arguments within the system about the appointment of a successor to the supreme leader. They're having grave difficulties. The fact that they're lashing out irrationally to all of their neighbors and firing these ballistic missiles into all their neighbors from 12 countries, into Europe, for crying out loud, is indicative of the fact they're having huge problems. We're having success in these attacks on their command centers.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So President Trump was specifically asked yesterday about sending troops in to secure Iran's supply of enriched uranium. He said he's not ruling it out.
Does Iran currently have access to the documented enriched uranium that exists inside the country, and what is Israel's plan to secure it?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: Israel's plan is to secure it. That's for sure.
MARGARET BRENNAN: How?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: How exactly is an operational issue, I don't think, Margaret, that you want me to discuss here on a Sunday morning, Face the Nation.
We've got to do that. It's an objective we have to accomplish. But the first thing we have to do is create a situation we're going to be able to get to that enriched material and remove it. And that has to reach a point where there's less kinetic activity on the ground. It's obviously on our radar screen, and we're going to take care of it.
The whole objective here of this operation is to prevent a terror state from achieving nuclear weapons. So it's very much on our radar screen, and that's what we're going to accomplish.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But just to put a fine point on it, the concern is that that material could end up in the wrong hands if the regime collapses and it's a mess, right? So, how do you secure it without ground forces in some way? Is Israel ruling out ground forces?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: We are ruling out the possibility of this regime remaining in the position where they can endanger us and their neighbors.
If that includes putting boots on the ground – our preference is for the boots on the ground to be those of the Iranians. These are people who have been living under the boot of this regime now for 47 years. They want freedom. This is a whole generation out there that knows there is such a thing as freedom, but has never tasted it yet.
They need to put their boots on the ground and ensure their future and the future of the region.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You mean the Iranian army, the IRGC?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: The Iranian – the Iranian includes – no, I mean the Iranian people; 80 percent of the Iranian people are opposed to this regime. They just haven't been able to express themselves.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, and CENTCOM is telling Iranian civilians to stay home right now. Is there any organized or armed opposition inside Iran that Israel supports?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: We've been talking to the minorities now for many years.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The minorities meaning the Kurds and the Azeris?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: They're Kurds. They're Baluchis, the Azeris, but the Iranian people themselves, the Persians. We saw what they did two months ago. There is a point of combustion, where the people will rise up and say, we have had enough. We want freedom.
So once we set the stage and there is no longer regime with a million armed people that are willing to shoot their fellow citizens in the back, these people are going to rise up and say, we want our country back.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Because President Trump said yesterday he does not want the Kurds, who make up about 10 percent of the population within Iran, he doesn't want the Kurds in neighboring countries to enter the conflict. "We don't want to make the war any more complex than it is already."
Turkey's foreign minister came and said he – he said he had spoken to Rubio about it, but he said this: "Israel's intentions in this matter are not so secret."
Turkey seems to think that your country is trying to get the Kurds to intervene here. Is that accurate?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: I wouldn't take the words of President Erdogan too seriously. He's talking about his own caliphate spreading throughout the Middle East.
(CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: … the foreign minister.
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: He's talking about taking over – well, that's coming down from the president. He's talking about taking over Saudi Arabia and Israel at the same time.
Look, we want a united Iran. There's no question about it. But we want to empower the minorities to have their say in the process, in the political process. They've been denied of their freedom. So it's not matter of supporting this particular minority or another. It's supporting all the minorities.
What we're encouraging them to do is to coalesce, is to come together, to unify. If over the past 47 years, the opposition of Iran would have unified, this regime would have come down a long time ago. So, we can help them coalesce. We can help them unify. We can help them come together and rise up and say, we're taking our country back. That's ultimately the endgame.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So your prime minister gave an address Saturday and said to the IRGC: "To those who lay down their arms, no harm shall come. To those who do not, their blood is on their own heads."
If there are no Israeli ground forces, who do you want the IRGC to surrender to? How does that work?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: There are many precedents in history where the people themselves, like Romania – they turned their guns around against Ceausescu.
When people are deprived of freedom, there's a certain point where they say, enough. And all they have to do is put down their weapons and not participate. Look, they don't to participate when the people rise up in shooting their own civilians, their own neighbors, their own families in many cases.
So, look, the objective here is to achieve a situation where Iran is no longer an exporter of terrorism, is no longer raining ballistic missiles down on its neighbors, and is no longer in the pursuit of nuclear weapons. That's achievable. And, together, the collaborative effort…
MARGARET BRENNAN: OK.
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: … between Roaring Lion and Epic Fury, we're going to accomplish that.
(LAUGHTER)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Ambassador, we have to leave it there for the moment, but we'll have more questions shortly.
We need to take a quick commercial break. Stay with us.
(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
MARGARET BRENNAN: For more than half-a-century, CBS' 60 Minutes has been reporting on the transformation of Iran.
For a look back at some highlights from that coverage and analysis on the road to today's war, tune in to our streaming network, CBS News 24/7, today at 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. for a four-hour marathon special.
We will be right back.
(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
MARGARET BRENNAN: We will be right back with a lot more Face the Nation.
Stay with us.
(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome back to "FACE THE NATION."
We return to our conversation which Israel's ambassador to the United States, Doctor Michael Leiter.
Just to pick this back up. When we talk about what's coming next in Iran, it has tremendous impact potentially for the entire region and American interests there. The president said, when it comes to Iran's next leaders, most of the people we had in mind are dead. "The New York Times" is reporting the Israeli strike that killed the supreme leader also took out Iranian pragmatists, that was how they phrased it, who were also in that same compound. But the White House had hoped that those individuals might help lead a new Iran. Were they intentionally targeted by Israel or was this unintended?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: No. Pragmatists are very limited in their ability to influence in Iran. There have been pragmatists all throughout the 47 years of this terror regime. They've had absolutely no influence.
The people influencing, deciding for Iran are these ayatollahs, who very – have a very apocalyptic view of the future and don't really care about how many people they kill of their own or others.
So, look, what we're hoping for is that we move into a period of a transitional government where the minorities come together, where the majority of the people come together. All the various opposition parties come together for a transitional government where they can lead the country for a year or so, together with the guidance from the United States, and Israel, and other region allies, who will no longer live under the fear of being hit by ballistic missiles, and then move into a mode of democratic process. Let the people choose.
Let's not forget, the people of Iran are the most pro-western people after Israel.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. Well, but when I hear, this is going to take weeks not months, referring to the combat, what you're talking about takes a long time. That kind of transition. So, we're not just talking about a limited military operation. U.S. pressure, Israeli pressure is going to have to be there for a long time.
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: Yes, well, this isn't Iraq or Afghanistan because, in this case, 80 percent of the people oppose the regime. They just need the ability to express themselves. That's what we're emphasizing here. This is not a repeat of forever wars. They've got to put their boots on the ground and they're beginning to be motivated and to feel that they're going to be able to accomplish that. They're beginning to move forward. It's just going to take a little bit more time.
There's no long-term gain without some minimal pain.
Look, I know what war is all about. I hate war. I lost my son in war. I don't want to see war. None of us in Israel want to see war. But we can't have a situation where our existence is threatened every day by a regime that says they're going to eliminate us.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. But just to put a fine point on it, did Israel intentionally target those other Iranian leaders that the president had referred to as some of the people he had in mind to lead?
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: You know, Margaret, we're pretty good at precision. I think we've proven that. But the degree of precision where, in this very same room there are these people sitting and those people sitting, we're not that good.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Ambassador, thank you for your time this morning.
AMBASSADOR MICHAEL LEITER: Good to be with you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We'll be right back.
(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
MARGARET BRENNAN: There have been seven American deaths in the war with Iran so far, six who died in combat. Yesterday, at Dover Air Force Base, President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were on hand to witness the dignified transfer of the Americans who have been killed in action. They were all members of the Army Reserve assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa, and they were serving at a U.S. facility in Kuwait last Sunday when it was struck by a drone.
Major Jeffrey R. O'Brien was 45. Captain Cody A. Khork was 35. Chief Warrant Officer Robert M. Marzan was 54. Sergeant First Class Nicole M. Amor was 39. Sergeant First Class Noah L. Tietjens was 42. Sergeant Declan J. Coady was 20.
And we thank them for their sacrifice.
We turn now to CBS News national correspondent and chief Washington analyst Robert Costa.
Bob, I understand you spoke with President Trump by phone last night. It was a – it was a heavy day. How is he feeling about this war?
ROBERT COSTA: Good morning, Margaret.
Late last night I did speak with President Trump about how he assesses everything. He talked about the sustained assault on Iran. He said as we were speaking last night, the fact is we're being bombed. He believes the United States has done a lot to eradicate the Iranian military, the Iranian leadership.
I asked him about the Iranian leadership in particular. Who is he going to deal with if there's going to be a diplomatic solution here? And he's getting threats from Ari Larijani, the top national security official, among other Iranian leaders. He said, I couldn't care less who these people are. I'm focused on the war, the military campaign against them, and he says their threats are empty in his view.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, I mean this is something we've become used to in the age of Trump that he takes phone calls from reporters, but that's incredibly unusual, particularly in a moment of such high sensitivity. Usually the wording, the language, it's so carefully crafted around a war strategy. He's not doing that. We're almost following each statement to figure out where this war goes next, and sometimes those statements are contradictory.
ROBERT COSTA: It seems, based on the conversations I've had with him, not only last night, but in recent weeks, that he's highly engaged and always being briefed and updated. So, it's actually beneficial as a journalist to constantly hear how he's assessing the information in front of him. He kept going over last night how he saw over 40 ships have been destroyed and he was talking about the extent of the destruction.
And I said to him, well, what about what's next now? You're telling me about what's happening. What next? What about U.S. allies? You talked about how the – he doesn't want the Kurds to enter the fight. And when it comes to the Brits, for example, he's pushing back against the prime minister, Keir Starmer, saying it's too late, he told me, too late to be sending ships.
He said his mission right now is to focus on the U.S.-Israeli efforts to push Iran to have unconditional surrender. And when I pushed him again a little bit, I asked him about the Iranian leadership, he said he's not focused on that. He's focused on getting Iran to a point where they surrender. That's the entire prerogative he has right now.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It's interesting. And we're going to be tracking it.
Thank you, Bob, for bringing us your latest reporting.
We'll be back in a moment.
(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
MARGARET BRENNAN: We're joined now by Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine.
Good to have you here, Senator.
SENATOR TIM KAINE (D-VA): Thank you, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You sit on many relevant committees, Armed Services, Foreign Relations.
I want to ask you about this explosion overnight nearby the U.S. embassy in Oslo. I understand that the Norwegian police say it may have been a deliberate attack linked to the current security situation.
What do we know about the threat here and to other American posts?
SENATOR TIM KAINE: There are threats. Because of my service on the Foreign Relations Committee, I've been in dialogue with State Department personnel around the world. Escalated security. Other embassies or consulates have had protests. Protests that kind of were merging toward violence or at least frightening to our diplomats. We have American citizens stranded in the region. They were told to come home, but they weren't told to come home until after commercial air flights had stopped.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: And so, my office has been working with Virginians this week trying to help them come home. And so, we owe it to our brave professionals, wherever they are, and our citizens to keep them safe.
And, Margaret, it's just one more reason why I've been asking the question, have we learned nothing from 25 years of war in the Middle East? And with the arrival of the first American casualties back home yesterday, including a Virginian, I worry that the answer to that is no.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, do you have an estimate on the number of Americans still stranded in the Middle East?
SENATOR TIM KAINE: It's thousands and thousands.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It is?
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Now, not every American chooses to come home.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: So, there's hundreds of thousands if you just add them all up who is coming home.
I am working with the Virginians who are reaching out to my office. We were able to facilitate one Richmond area resident getting home from Dubai on a flight a couple of days back. And so it's sort of dealing with that. But what worries me a little bit more is that some of the professionals at embassies and consuls are not being told to come home and they're sort of there and often their security presence is not what we wish it would be. So, we have to pay close attention to them.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. Let me ask you about the homeland now. We're in this fourth week of a partial homeland security shutdown. That means people at the Coast Guard, Secret Service and TSA are not getting paid, but ICE and CBP are still funded.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Right.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Given that the pressure from Democrats isn't affecting the agencies where Democrats want to see policy change, is this really an effective strategy?
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Right. Well, we have said to the Republicans, we've worked out funding for all those agencies, other than ICE and CBP. Let's just pass those funding bills. Let's confine the ICE and CBP reform discussion just to those two agencies and fund the others. Thus far, Republicans have blocked those efforts. We want to fund TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard and CISA. We want to fund those agencies. And we have a funding agreement that's already been negotiated between both parties in both houses. So, let's do that and then ICE and CBP, the Republicans, gave them money last summer. They're not running out of money.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: We can continue the reform discussion there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I asked because CBS obtained a homeland security critical incident note that cites, "Iranian religious leaders issuing fatwas, calling on Muslims to avenge the supreme leader's death." DHS says that, you know, in the past, these kind of fatwas haven't really inspired attacks necessarily. But –
SENATOR TIM KAINE: But you've got to be worried about it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you've got to be worried about it in this moment in time.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Absolutely.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, isn't there a good argument to be made to move on this standoff, to end it?
SENATOR TIM KAINE: I'd completely agree. Let's fund all these agencies that don't have funds right now. And let's confine the ICE and CBP discussion to what are the reforms necessary –
MARGARET BRENNAN: Why isn't that happening?
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Well, we've offered this on the floor and the Republicans have thus far rejected. They've said, you've got to fund everything or nothing. And we've said, we've agreed on all the other agencies. Let's do that.
But ICE and CBP need reforms. We've made that very, very plain. And American citizens want there to be reforms. And so that is the focus right now. And they do have enough money because the Republicans provided it to them last summer in the reconciliation bill.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We saw Secretary Noem lose her job this week.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You've said you do regret having voted for her. You were one of the Democrats who did.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Big mistake. Yes, look, she was a governor. Governors are often good cabinet secretaries. But what we learned, and this bears going forward, is that she wasn't calling the shots. Stephen Miller is calling the shots. And as long as he is calling the shots, without reforms, this is going to continue to be a very, very rogue, renegade department.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, do you need to see and hear something from Senator Markwayne Mullin to get you to vote for him? If you're saying he's just going to be basically a puppet of Stephen Miller.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: That's our fear. So, he could demonstrate otherwise. But what we want to see is not just the change in the nameplate on the door, we want to see reforms to the way ICE and CBP operates. They should operate like local law enforcement does, not invading people's homes without warrants, body cameras, not wearing masks –
MARGARET BRENNAN: Administrative, not judicial warrants, right?
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Yes. Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: What they use.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Well, for homes, I would say judicial warrants. I think that would be important for invading people's homes. These are basic principles that our local law enforcement agencies live by. The Ashland town police lives by them. We should ask our federal agencies to do exactly the same thing.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You're on Armed Services as well.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The Pentagon may be looking at a supplemental budget request to fund this new war in the Middle East. CSIS estimates the first 100 hours of the war cost nearly $4 billion.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Have you heard an estimate on cost? Where are we on this supplemental? Will it get any Democratic support?
SENATOR TIM KAINE: We don't know that the White House is sending a supplemental. So, we had a classified briefing the other day and the topic came up. What I can say, and it's not classified, is the administration said they haven't made a decision. My goals right now are two-fold. Stop this war, which I view as both illegal and profoundly unwise, and protect our troops. If a supplemental comes over, I'm going to be looking to see, OK, how does it square with those goals? Protecting the troops is key. That's one of the reasons I want to stop the war. I think they're just exposed to a completely unnecessary risk by what President Trump has done. So, we'll look at a supplemental, if they send one –
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: To see, OK, how does it accomplish those goals.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Did they tell you what that's dependent on? Why don't they know if they need more money? Is it the duration of the time of the conflict or –
SENATOR TIM KAINE: I think that's the issue. You traditionally don't ask for a supplemental halfway through because you might ask for an inadequate amount. You might not – I think they may not want to ask for a supplemental because they're trying to avoid debates and votes in Congress on the Iran war right now.
I put up a war powers vote that I was –
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: That I lost earlier this week. But I can assure you, I'm not going away. We have other means to have a debate and discussion about whether this war is in the U.S.' interest after 25 years of war in the Middle East.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: They may want to avoid a vote on that and are trying to delay it for that reason.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: They'll make that call and we have to look at the content.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Very quickly, I want to ask you about some of the Americans that are still being held in Iran.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Yes. Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: In Evin prison. One of them, Reza Valizadeh, a journalist, one of them, Kamran Hekmati, a 70-year-old man. Do you have any idea what is being done to protect them or stop them from being retaliated against?
SENATOR TIM KAINE: I do not. And I fear about that. Look, if school kids are being killed in bombing, likely U.S. bombing, although the president and the secretary of defense are now trying to invent a claim that it was Iran. If school kids are being killed, I worry about the fate of U.S. prisoners – U.S. citizens who are being held prisoners there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, we know the military is investigating that. Secretary Hegseth has said in regard to the girls' school.
We have to leave it there. Senator, thank you for your time.
SENATOR TIM KAINE: Glad to be with you, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We will be right back.
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MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to the war in Ukraine, and Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna.
Welcome back to "FACE THE NATION."
OLGA STEFANISHYNA (Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States): Hello, Margaret. Thank you for having me.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, one of the biggest threats to Ukraine has been Russia's ballistic missiles that it has been firing into your country for some time. The solution has been the Patriot system, the American interceptors. They are in short supply, as you well know, and now America's allies in the gulf tell us that they are also in short supply there and they need them.
Your president said he is concerned America is going to reduce its air defense support for Ukraine. How much of a problem is this for your country?
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: Well, thank you, Margaret, for asking this question.
Of course, we have been talking about that publicly as well and have been having nonpublic discussions. But the most important thing that we see that, you know, the events happening right now with the war in Iran have been so resolute that probably these are the most important developments in a global arena over a decade. So, no shortages of means should be an issue. And we're sure that American defense industry is capable of making sure that all the fronts are covered. Ukraine has the resources and ability to procure more, and we are looking forward for exploring the options how to do it.
But also, you know, we ended up with 300 Shahed drones over the houses of Ukraine, which was only possible because Iran has been a strategic enabler of the Russian aggression three years ago. And we see what the (INAUDIBLE) chief technologist is and we have been ready to contribute.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I asked that earlier in the program of the energy secretary, Chris Wright, because Russia and Iran have been allied here. They have been trading resources and technology. They are allied in many ways. He seemed to say they were not really a factor. You say they are directly one.
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: Well, I mean, they are absolutely a factor because basically the Shahed drone technology was developed to attack people, to demoralize population, to cause the losses among civilians. So, it killed like hundreds of Ukrainian kids, so many families, and this was a strategic enabler of war. And Russia has been – they – Russia were not investing in bilateral relations or development or investments, they were investing in the regimes like Iran, Venezuela, and Syria, just because they saw it as not possible to have the resolute action as it has now taken place with Iran and as it was before in Venezuela. And it was not possible a couple years ago with Syria. So, they are deprived of means of their influence. They are weaker. But also we should not forget that Ukraine has shown that Russia is no different from all of these countries. It's just bigger. And we see that, you know, the experience, which is being gained right now, and the new reality, which is being formed by President Trump, also paves the way for the new reality for the Russians, and I'm sure they are really, really afraid of that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, your president said he was asked by the United States to provide anti-drone technology that Ukraine has to America. When does that arrive? When will that be operational?
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: So, you know, we understand more than anybody in this world what is needed in a moment of crisis. What is needed when you see when your people now are dying just and across so many cities of the gulf countries. And what we suggest is the immediate action and immediate reaction. So, we can secure the skies. We can provide the air defense because we have so much knowledge.
And these are only Ukrainian people, Ukrainian armed forces, who have this knowledge and capability. So, we are able to provide it to the United States and the gulf countries. And this is what we did. We are not going to stand aside knowing that people are dying because we know how painful it is and we will do everything we can to make sure that this resolute action is ending up with something that is called positive.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, sending advisers to help with the drones, it sounds like, specialists?
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: And also capabilities.
MARGARET BRENNAN: OK.
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: So, it's – the drone capabilities of Ukraine is not only the drone or the people, it's the whole spectrum of actions you are taking because the situation is changing every week and you need to have people and the mechanism which allowed to react immediately. And this is what only Ukraine has entire planet.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, just a few days ago President Trump said he thinks Vladimir Putin is ready to make a deal. And he said that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, your president, has to get on the ball and he has to get a deal done, and he referred to him as a P.T. Barnum of Ukraine. It seems like the relationship is still really tense, even though you're talking about Ukraine helping the United States. What's going on here?
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: Well, I mean, I think definitely a couple of minutes of discussion is not enough for that, but I think we're assessing the situation by actions. And the actions are that there is a mechanism where Ukraine still can get access to American military equipment. President Trump has released a significant sanctions to the Russian Federation over the last months. And also, we are in dialogue already trilaterally with the United States and Russians on ending the war. All of this is a very important development, and we're looking forward for their success. But for us, the most important thing is that we are able to defend ourselves and secure our cities. We're doing that to the extent we can with the American support.
And we have never been too tired to give credit to President Trump for so many important things he did, although the rhetoric we hear sometimes is not something that really very clear or very positive.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: But, you know, we're a tough country. We're a tough people. We have been through so much that, you know, a couple of words is not something that really can destruct us. And we know what we know, that Ukraine is a country in the world which really wants the war over, more than anybody, and this is where we stand.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And what evidence do you have that Russia is helping Iran in its war right now on these American allies?
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: Well, some information has been provided. It's not something that we would want to share – to share, you know, in the media or go public with, but I can also assure you that it's not only Ukraine. They're like a lot of countries who have a lot of information and a disposal (ph) and intel community is very well developed across all the NATO formats (ph). So, whatever information is there, it's already at the disposal of, you know, all allies and partners, including the United States. And I'm sure this is an information which is black and white. It's nothing which could be called gray.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But it goes beyond sharing targeting information, which CBS has reported (INAUDIBLE)?
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: I'm not sure that I could really comment on that, but I think we should look also in the context that Russia has been supporting the regimes of the countries I've mentioned, like Venezuela, like Syria –
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: Like Iran –
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: For years.
MARGARET BRENNAN: OK.
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: And this partnership was possible –
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
OLGA STEFANISHYNA: And evolved in building the productions on the Russian Federation.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Ambassador, thank you for your time today.
Thank you all for watching. Until next week. For "FACE THE NATION," I'm Margaret Brennan.
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