Sen. Tom Cotton, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Chris Murphy

Summary

Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan — March 1, 2026

Episode Overview

On this urgent episode, Margaret Brennan leads a high-stakes discussion as the U.S. and Israel enter a second day of military operations against Iran following the unprecedented joint strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The episode dissects the international fallout: American casualties, escalation in the Middle East, and the prospects for both regime change in Iran and U.S. domestic support or opposition to President Trump’s war strategy. Featuring in-depth interviews with Senators Tom Cotton, Chris Murphy, and Ted Cruz, as well as expert and military analysis, the program tackles both immediate tactical questions and broader strategic implications.

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Key Segments & Talking Points

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1. Crisis Reporting: War Erupts in the Middle East

• [01:00–06:59]
• Updates from reporters in Tel Aviv and Muscat detail the first wave of joint U.S.–Israeli airstrikes killing dozens of senior Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Khamenei, and Iran’s subsequent vow for revenge.
• Widespread missile and drone strikes from Iran hit Israel and several Gulf nations; the U.S. Embassy in Israel directs Americans to shelter in place.
• Protests erupt in Pakistan, Iraq, and across the Gulf, with targeted attacks on U.S. consulates and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

“This missile managed to get through one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world, and that's what's causing concern among U.S. forces here.”
— Charlie D’Agata, CBS News, Tel Aviv ([03:02])

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2. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chair, Senate Intelligence Committee

• [07:12–14:47]

• Strategy & Ground Troops

  • Confirms: U.S. is not deploying significant ground troops; the campaign is primarily air/naval.
  • Emphasizes destroying Iran’s missile stockpiles and infrastructure as core objectives.

• Role of U.S. Intelligence

  • Refuses to confirm CIA involvement in targeting Khamenei, but highlights "exquisite intelligence" and deep U.S.–Israel cooperation.
  • Stresses the operation’s sophistication: “...our nations have capabilities that no other nation on earth has.” ([08:54])

• Regime Change vs. Managed Transition

  • Admits uncertainty: no clear U.S. plan or desired figure for Iran’s future, but supports strikes on leadership and infrastructure.
  • “There's no simple answer for what's going to come next. But as President Trump promised ... help is on the way, help has arrived.” ([11:41])

• Domestic Legitimacy

  • Defends Trump’s bypassing of congressional approval, citing the necessity to “finally eliminate the threat of Iran;" expects strong Republican support in upcoming votes.

“Margaret, the opposition is 90 million Iranians who have suffered under the brutal Islamic Republic revolutionary regime for the last 47 years.”
— Sen. Tom Cotton ([12:13])

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3. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Senate Foreign Relations Committee

• [15:42–24:19]

• Legal Authority and Purpose

  • Blasts the legitimacy of the military campaign: “This is a disaster. It is illegal. And the president is obligated under the Constitution to come to Congress…” ([15:57])
  • Argues the operation is a "war of vanity," with U.S. military deaths already being reported.

• Assessment of U.S. Goals

  • Murphy states, “We are engaged in regular, ongoing military strikes ... with the goal of regime change. If that is not war, what is?” ([17:03])
  • Predicts that air strikes alone will strengthen Iran’s hardliners, not pave the way for democracy.

• Safety of Americans Abroad

  • Warns Americans to seek help from congressional offices; criticizes administration for being unprepared amid embassy closures and violence.
  • Disputes GOP calls to reconsider halting DHS funding, linking stance to ongoing abuses by ICE.

• Historical Context

  • Criticizes Trump for ripping up the JCPOA, laying the groundwork for today’s crisis.
  • “There is no history ... that shows an air campaign alone will result in positive regime change. In fact, there's not a single example of it in the entire of American history.” ([23:25])

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4. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), House Armed Services Committee

• [25:07–31:38]

• Imminent Threat Justification

  • Dismisses the "Obama-era" standard of imminent threat, advocating for preemptive action against persistent adversaries: “Imminent here really is that the Iranian regime continues to be a sponsor of terrorism and amassing missiles…” ([26:34])

• AI in Targeting

  • Responds cautiously to questions about Pentagon–Anthropic AI use during operations; urges legislative oversight of battlefield AI.

• U.S. Involvement in Killing Khamenei

  • Asserts U.S. strikes targeted military infrastructure, not leadership—implies Israel may have acted on its own initiative in striking Khamenei.

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5. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)

• [31:53–39:26]

• Domestic Security Concerns

  • Addresses mass shooting in Austin; says “early reports” suggest a possible terror link but urges caution until facts are verified.

• Support for Trump’s Bold Action

  • Frames the attack as “the single most important decision of his presidency.”
  • Claims he personally urged Trump to act, describing the Iranian regime as “never ... weaker, ... teetering, and now was the time.” ([33:12])

• On Diplomacy

  • Defends abandoning negotiations: “The diplomacy was an abject failure … they approached it with absolute hubris.” ([35:11])
  • Contends Iran refused to stop enrichment and proxy support, leaving “no choice” but force.

• Nuclear Security

  • Claims U.S. “devastated” Iran’s nuclear program during a “12-day war” prior to this escalation, though cannot confirm status of nuclear stockpiles now.

“Dictatorships survive because they're perceived as invulnerable. And in this instance, Iran decisively lost the 12 day war that weakened the regime and set up what the president is doing now.”
— Sen. Ted Cruz ([39:16])

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6. Expert Analysis: Kareem Sajapour (Carnegie Endowment) & Gen. Frank McKenzie (Ret., former CENTCOM Commander)

• [40:04–46:30]

• Iranian Succession and Instability

  • Sajapour: No clear successor in Tehran—“enormous gulf” between Iran’s leadership and its people.
  • Suggests possibility of regime fracture or civil war, but sees the Iranian people as “spectators, not yet participants.” ([43:11])

• Military Campaign Outlook

  • Gen. McKenzie: Expects several more days of intense exchanges; acknowledges likelihood of more U.S. casualties.
  • "Key thing to watch over the next 72 to 96 hours" is the reduction of Iran’s ability to fire missiles in volleys at U.S. and Israeli targets.

• Endgame & U.S. Objectives

  • McKenzie: Stresses need for a clear endgame—ideally, either a new regime open to negotiation or a “successor state” willing to discuss nuclear and missile programs.

“Centcom has been planned for this for years. We’re probably going to take more casualties… but I think ... we’re probably going to have more casualties before this is over.”
— Gen. Frank McKenzie ([42:23])

“Ayatollah Khamenei lived by ‘death to America’ and ‘death to Israel.’ He died by death from America and Israel.”
— Kareem Sajapour ([45:01])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sen. Cotton on Regime Change:
  “The opposition is 90 million Iranians who have suffered under the brutal Islamic Republic … for the last 47 years.” ([12:13])
• Sen. Murphy on War Aims:
  “We are engaged in regular, ongoing military strikes ... with the goal of regime change. If that is not war, what is?” ([17:03])
• Sen. Cruz on the Timing:
  “The Iranian regime has never been weaker, that it was teetering, and now was the time. My advice was do not miss this opportunity.” ([33:27])
• Sajapour’s Epitaph for Khamenei:
  “He lived by ‘death to America’ and ‘death to Israel.’ He died by death from America and Israel.” ([45:01])
• Gen. McKenzie’s Caution:
  “We’re probably going to have more casualties before this is over ... we need to think about continuing to impose our will on the enemy.” ([42:23], [45:49])

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Important Timestamps

• 01:00–06:59: Breaking reports from Middle East correspondents—first American casualties, details of regional strikes.
• 07:12–14:47: Tom Cotton addresses U.S. objectives, intelligence, and regime change prospects.
• 15:42–24:19: Chris Murphy rebukes administration strategy, discusses war powers, humanitarian fallout, and embassies.
• 25:07–31:38: Mike Turner debates imminent threat, Pentagon’s use of AI, and U.S.–Israel targeting decision.
• 31:53–39:26: Ted Cruz justifies war, critiques failed diplomacy, and addresses nuclear risks.
• 40:04–46:30: Analysts Sajapour and McKenzie discuss Iranian leadership vacuum, risks of escalation, and possible endgames.

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Summary

This crisis episode lays bare the enormous stakes and divisions over the U.S. and Israeli assault on Iran: American deaths, uncharted succession in Tehran, and widespread regional instability. Supporters of Trump’s aggressive course (Cotton, Cruz, Turner) argue the time was ripe to strike decisively against a longtime foe, even at risk of casualties and uncertain outcomes. Critics (Murphy) sharply contest the war’s legality, strategy, and wisdom—contending it will likely backfire and cost American lives for no meaningful gain. On-the-ground updates and expert voices amplify the atmosphere of unpredictability and danger, capturing a country and a world on edge amid the most consequential Middle East war in a generation.

Transcript

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Switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month. Required intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full [e-mail], Good morning and welcome to FACE the nation. As we come on the air, the conflict in the Middle east appears to be widening with the US And Israel in their second day of attacks against Iran. And Iran has escalated their retaliatory strikes aimed at U.S. interests in neighboring countries and as well as targets inside Israel. The bombing kicked off early Saturday morning. The only public appearance from President Trump at this point was a video released soon after the strikes began. It included this chilling warning. The lives of courageous American heroes may

[D]

be lost and we may have casualties that often happens in war.

[A]

But we're doing this not for now. We're doing this for the future.

[E]

And.

[D]

And it is a noble mission.

[A]

And that prophecy has now come true as US Central Command just released a statement announcing the first known American casualties of Operation Epic Fury. Three service members are dead and five are seriously wounded. We'll cover all angles of this ongoing conflict that has enormous international implications for the US we'll start with our Charlie Dagata in Tel Aviv.

[D]

Iran began 40 days of mourning for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after state run media confirmed that he was killed at his Tehran compound. His successor has been announced as Alireza Arafi to lead a temporary council. But who's really in charge and where they can even meet safely is another matter. Israel Defense Forces released this video today claiming to show multiple airstrikes blowing up Iranian government headquarters this morning. CBS News cannot independently verify that claim. Intelligence sources tell CBS News as many as 40 senior Iranian officials were killed in the first wave of strikes. Iran's Islamic Republican Guard Corps vowed revenge, saying they've launched the most ferocious offensive operation in the history of the Iranian armed forces towards the occupied territories and American terrorist bases on day two of the war. Nearby Gulf state allies have already borne the brunt of multiple drone and missile strikes, though none as hard as Israel itself. An Iranian missile strike overnight in the heart of Tel Aviv left a woman in her 40s dead and more than 40 injured, including seven children. Throughout the night, air raids, sirens and text messages sent residents here screaming, scrambling for their bomb shelters. This missile managed to get through one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world, and that's what's causing concern among US Forces here. US Military officials tell CBS News that forces from US Central Command continue to launch airstrikes and cruise missiles against Iran, targeting Iranian air defenses, launchers and missile stockpiles, and Iranian regime infrastructure in coordination with Israeli Defense Forces. Today, the US Embassy here in Israel changed its advisory to American citizens here, saying the embassy is not in a position to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel, directing that all US Government employees and their family members shelter in place in or near their residences until further notice.

[A]

That's our Charlie Dagada in Tel Aviv. We turn now to senior foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tayeb, who's reporting from Muscat, Oman.

[F]

Oh, my God.

[G]

Tehran's decision to bring its fight to the doorsteps of Gulf nations will likely only harden Arab rulers backing for the ongoing US and Israeli strikes. For two days now, waves of Iranian attacks have rattled the UAE's swankiest Dubai resorts has seen smoke billow across the skyline of Qatar's glittering capital, Doha.

[E]

Oh, my God.

[G]

Oh, my God.

[F]

Oh, my God.

[G]

Targets have been struck in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and now Oman's Manama Port. Beyond the damage, dozens have been injured and some killed across the region

[B]

after

[G]

Iran fired hundreds of its drones and missiles. While most have been intercepted and no Gulf nation has fired back, the question now is for how long. The oil and gas rich region is also home to several major US Military bases housing tens of thousands of American service members. Iranian President Masoud Pazashkian has said his country's armed forces will crush US Bases with force. Fears of an extended conflict beyond Iran's borders are only growing following the killing of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Pro regime demonstrators in neighboring Pakistan tried to storm the US Consulate in the port city of Karachi. At least nine people were killed in confrontations with security forces. Protests have also erupted in Iraq. Hundreds were pushed back with water cannons outside the Green Zone in Baghdad, just a short distance from the American Embassy. And from here in the Omani capital, Muscat, not far from the banks of the Strait of Hormuz, CBS News can confirm that two tankers have been targeted in strikes. With one fifth of the world's oil passing through here, any sustained disruption would be felt not just in the Gulf, Margaret, but in markets across the US and around the world.

[A]

MTA's Taya reporting from Muscat, Oman. We turn now to the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton, who joins us from Bentonville. Good morning to you, Senator.

[F]

Good morning, Margaret.

[A]

The President of the United States warned the American public that there could be casualties. American casualties. Does that mean the US Is putting boots on the ground?

[F]

No, Margaret. The President has been clear that what we should expect to see is an extended air and naval campaign that's designed not only to continue to set back Iran's nuclear ambitions, but most importantly, to destroy its vast missile arsenal. Many more missiles than the United States and Israel have air defenses combined, as well as the missile launchers and its missile manufacturing capability. Now, obviously, one risk of that kind of campaign is that an aircraft could be shot down and the President would never leave a pilot behind. So no doubt we have combat search and rescue assets in the region that are prepared to go in and extract any downed pilot. But barring that kind of unusual circumstance, Margaret, the President has no plan for any kind of large scale ground force inside of Iran.

[A]

The New York Times is reporting that it was the CIA that provided the intelligence in regard to the exact location of the Supreme Leader, and then he was subsequently killed. You're smiling as I say that. Are you confirming that it is true that it is the United States that pinpointed his location leading to his death?

[F]

No, Margaret, I can't confirm anything about the intelligence that the United States intelligence community collects. I can tell you that of course, we have exquisite intelligence collection methods that the location and the intentions of the Supreme Leader and the other ayatollahs in Iran, or for that matter, the leaders of other adversaries around the world, is obviously one of the highest priorities of our intelligence community. But clearly, clearly this operation is driven by intelligence collected by Israel and the United States that has once again proven that our nations have capabilities that no other nation on earth has.

[A]

Indeed, there are questions, though, about what happens next. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified to Congress last month and was asked specifically what happens if Iran's regime fails. Take a listen. So I don't think anyone can give

[C]

you a simple answer as to what happens next in Iran if the supreme

[H]

leader and the regime were to fall,

[C]

other than the hope that there would be some ability to have somebody within their systems that you could work towards a similar transition.

[A]

That was a month ago. We're seeing some succession planning happening inside Iran. Is this a managed regime change here or is the United States betting on regime collapse?

[F]

Well, Margaret, first I want to stress what happens next in the days ahead and probably the weeks ahead. Iran does have a vast missile arsenal, and that's going to be the priority objective for this military campaign is destroying that arsenal that threatened American troops from bases as far flung as the Indian Ocean to Western Europe and making many

[A]

of those are being fired right now.

[F]

As far as the future, well, we're, but we're stopping a lot of them from being fired before Iran can fire them. It's much easier to kill the archer on the ground than it is to shoot his arrows out of the sky. As far as the long term future of Iran's government, Secretary Rubio is right. I don't think anyone can give you a simple answer. There's probably a lot of jockeying inside of Iran right now. They have a very consultative deliberative process to replace the supreme Leader. There's a reason why he didn't want to have a clear succession plan in place. It's hard to do that when the United States is pummeling their leadership every moment of the day. I'm sure, though, that there are also some supreme or there are also some leaders inside of Iran who might be jockeying to audition for the role of Iran's Delsey Rodriguez.

[A]

Okay, but what you just described in terms of Delsey Rodriguez sounds like it is a managed transition, not regime change. Is that accurate,

[F]

Margaret? Again, as Secretary Rubio said, it's not a simple answer.

[A]

Right, but we're in the middle of it now, so don't you need an

[F]

answer capabilities, at least an outcome, a goal. But we're going to continue to hit their military capabilities and we're going to continue to hit their senior leadership, the ayatollahs, who have also been complicit in 47 years of heinous crimes, not only against Americans, but against their own people. Again, there's no simple answer for what's going to come next. But as President Trump promised last month, when the Iranian people were rising up against their own regime, help is on the way, help has arrived.

[A]

Well, exactly. You're talking about what comes next, but then you're also telling me you don't know what comes next. So do you believe that regime change is possible from air support alone? Has a leader of the opposition been identified? Is the opposition unified to deliver in a way that President Trump is calling on the people to do? Are we arming anyone to actually challenge the regime?

[F]

Margaret, the opposition is 90 million Iranians who have suffered under the brutal Islamic Republic revolutionary regime for the last 47 years.

[A]

Yes, and the President called them to take over their government.

[F]

And we would all celebrate if the Iranian people were able to rise up and reclaim their freedom and reclaim their destiny. And as the President said when he promised, help is on the way, help has arrived. And that's why you've already seen some protests out celebrating the death of the Supreme Leader, the man who has brutally repressed his own people for almost 40 years. Now, we can't necessarily dictate what course that is going to take, but the help that the President promised is on the scene and it's going to continue, continue to be on the scene for probably a few weeks as we make sure that Iran's military is no longer capable of threatening our own troops, our Arab friends in the region and Israel, and also repressing its own people.

[A]

This is a big gamble by the president. Before the strikes, according to CBS polling, 74% of Americans said that Trump would need approval from Congress for military action against Iran. He did not seek. If this operation takes weeks, which is how you described it, do you believe the administration has effectively made its case to the American public to expect casualties to support this action?

[F]

Margaret, I thought the President's eight minute video yesterday was outstanding. It laid out Iran's 47 year campaign of terror and revolutionary violence against the United States and our people and really the civilized world. I'm sure the President will speak more in the coming days.

[A]

47 years he did not describe imminence or justify that in that video. Do you believe that the American public is owed something more than a Twitter video?

[F]

Margaret? I think an eight minute address to the American people, whether the President posted on social media or whether it happens on your network is in keeping with presidential custom of address the American people. Again, I'm sure that he's going to be speaking more in coming days. The administration will be briefing Congress and we're going to have a vote in the Congress. The Democrats are forcing a vote. I expect there'll be overwhelming Republican support for our troops, for our troops and for the president's decision to finally eliminate the threat of Iran. And I would invite Democrats into Congress to join their Democratic colleagues like John Fetterman and Josh Gottheimer and Greg Landsman in supporting our troops in finally putting America's foot down against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

[A]

Senator Cotton, we appreciate you in your role in oversight of the Intelligence Committee, making the case for the administration. We have more questions, and we would love to put them to the administration as well. Thank you very much for your time this morning. Face the Nation will be back in one minute. Stay with us. Blizzard Entertainment presents Midnight. The newest expansion for World of Warcraft. Midnight calls every hero home to Azeroth. All paths lead to this moment. Xal' Atath rises, the void follows, and the Sunwell stands in peril. Raiders, explorers, storytellers, newcomers and legends alike. This is your world, your story, your moment. Because Azeroth is home. And home is always worth fighting for. Available [e-mail] joining us now is Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. Good morning.

[C]

Good morning.

[A]

You have called for Congress to return to Washington and to vote on whether to try to essentially halt this military action. No War Powers resolution has ever overcome a presidential veto. Why do you think you need to take one?

[C]

Well, nobody in this country is asking for war with Iran. Just like months ago, no one in this country was asking for war with Venezuela. This president is intentionally tanking our economy. He's the most corrupt president in the history of our nation. And Americans want him to focus on the crises here at home. Instead, he is busy getting us involved in quagmires overseas that that already are becoming deadly to American soldiers. This is a disaster. It is illegal. And the president is obligated under the Constitution to come to Congress and ask for an authorization of military force. He wouldn't get that authorization if he asked for it. Congress wouldn't vote to give him the permission to do it, but he's obligated to come to Congress.

[A]

The administration would argue Venezuela was a limited military operation. They're not explaining to the public yet beyond that Twitter video exactly what the plan is here. But the president has tweeted in a way describing this as an open ended conflict until peace is achieved. You're using the term war. You do consider this to be a war?

[C]

Oh, of course. We are engaged in regular, ongoing military strikes that have. That has already killed American soldiers with the goal of regime change. If that is not war, what is now? The president has said that the goal is regime change. And the goal is to eliminate Iran's missile program and their nuclear program. He is not going to succeed in either of those endeavors. His intelligence agencies have already told him that the most likely outcome is that hardline members of the IRGC replace the current leadership. So we're not going to get a democracy. We're going to get an even worse Iranian leadership. We already know that you can't bomb their nuclear program out of existence. He told us last year that he'd obliterated the program and then apparently over the course of the last year, they'd gotten back to within a week. So we're going to have Americans dying and the end result is going to be hard line leadership continues in Iran and we don't get rid of their nuclear program. That's a moral and strategic disaster for the country.

[A]

Well, you're summarizing the administration's views in perhaps a more succinct way than they have because we haven't even heard a clear public accounting of the state of their nuclear program. Rubio said they weren't enriching. Witkoff said something else. But I want to ask you about something in regard to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where you sit. The State Department has issued a worldwide caution alert to all Americans. They have set up a task force that they say they're going to try to figure out how to help the Americans who are trapped in the Middle east and throughout the world. But the US Embassy in Israel said they're closed and they can't help evacuate. If you're an American abroad or a family member, what should you be doing right now?

[C]

Well, I think you can call your member of Congress or your senator. We will do whatever we can to help. But it's no secret that this administration has no plan for the chaos that is unfolding right now in the Middle East. Those scenes that you showed at the beginning of the program are frightening. Violence is not contained just to the Middle East. It's spilling over into Pakistan and other parts of the world. And it's no secret that our allies in the region, with the exception of the right wing government in Israel, had begged us not to take this action because they knew that the spillover, which is now looking like regional conflict, was the likely outcome. So again, what are we getting out of this? We're not getting regime change to a democracy. We're not going to eliminate their nuclear program. We are going to have regional war breaking out. It won't be the billionaire kids of Donald Trump and his buddies that die. It's going to be the children of middle class and poor families all across this country who are going to die for a war of choice, a war of vanity, an illegal war.

[A]

Well, we are going to hope for more briefings to Congress or engagement with the press to explain some of these things. When we are talking about the Americans though, around the world right now, there's also from the FBI and Homeland Security concern about cyber vulnerabilities and potential threats to infrastructure. They put out alerts about this. Given the current situation, Republicans are calling on Democrats to consider stopping the position you've taken, which is to halt some funding to Homeland Security. Do you feel you need to reconsider this position?

[C]

So the Republicans are saying that because they launched an illegal, disastrous war in Iran, we should give them permission to continue using ICE to murder American citizens to allow them to get the funding to tear gas schools? No, we need to stand up for the American citizens that ICE is murdering, the kids that they are terrorizing. They should stop this illegal war and they should stop ICE from terrorizing our communities. We should demand that they do both things.

[A]

Well, the administration would say they have adjusted some of the way they're carrying out policies within dhs.

[C]

They have not. I mean, just because some of the worlds and the nation's attention has turned away from Minneapolis, that doesn't mean that they aren't still brutalizing American citizens. We just discovered last week that they had left a Burmese immigrant for dead five miles from his home, blind and disabled. This brutality is continuing in the country. We can do two things at once. We can demand that ICE stop murdering American citizens and we can demand that the administration not send our kids to die for a war that we don't need.

[A]

So you believe that with the current funding Homeland Security has that they are able to protect the homeland in an adequate, adequate fashion? That's what I hear you saying.

[C]

Listen, I believe that the administration should make a commitment to legally prosecuting the laws of this nation. I don't have any obligation to fund a Department of Homeland Security that is violating the law every day. Just like I don't have any obligations to support this war that is illegal as well.

[A]

So three weeks and counting, it sounds like the standoff is not ending.

[C]

Well, if they agree to start adhering to the law at the Department of Homeland Security, they'll have the votes immediately. But listen, this is what the people want. The people want ICE to start behaving legally and they don't want wars overseas. So I think this is a pretty clear case of Democrats standing with the American people when it comes to domestic crises and international crises.

[A]

So back on Iran, if there had been a briefing, if there had been full disclosure of the state of negotiations or an assessment of Iran's nuclear program, would Democrats have been persuadable to support military action? I ask that because the Biden administration initially had reached out to Iran to try to get to a negotiated deal, and they weren't able to get one, in part because they weren't willing to lift sanctions off of the irgc. So, in other words, are we just in a place where military conflict or confrontation was inevitable and it just happened to land on Donald Trump's watch?

[C]

You know, Donald Trump precipitated this crisis. Right. He inherited a nuclear agreement that was working, that had put Iran more than a year away from a nuclear war.

[A]

The jcpoa.

[C]

The jcpoa. Against the advice of his advisors, he tossed that agreement out, which brought us to this moment.

[A]

It would have expired by now.

[C]

Right. But I think Iran would have certainly been willing to extend those provisions if we were still in the agreement. But second, there is no history, there is no experience that shows an air campaign alone will result in positive regime change. In fact, there's not a single example of it in the entire of American history. An air campaign without at least the threat of a ground invasion, which the administration is ruling out, never results in a democratic rebirth in an authoritarian country. So the plan they have laid, out, sustained airstrikes without a ground invasion, is destined to fail. All that will happen at the end of this, most likely. Listen, I'm rooting for democracy in Iran, but the most likely outcome here is that hard liners take over the government. They restart their missile program, they restart their nuclear program, and. And we're just right back at bombing them again and putting American lives and regional lives at risk again in a year or two.

[A]

All right, Senator Murphy, thank you for your time this morning.

[C]

Appreciate it.

[A]

And we'll be right back with a lot more Face the Nation. Stay with us. We're joined now by Ohio Republican Congressman Mike Turner. Congressman, and you are on the Armed Services Committee. I know you've been in contact with the administration to understand what is going on. The ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner, was briefed by Secretary Rubio, and he is calling this Warner is a war of choice. He said there was no evidence of imminent harm to Americans or an imminent threat to our country. Were you informed of a specific and imminent threat to the United States?

[B]

Well, this issue of imminent is really this fallacy really, that comes from the Obama administration's nuclear weapons nuclear enrichment negotiations where the Obama administration, the jcpoa, set up this fallacy that we were just going to set up cameras and watch Iran do this nuclear enrichment until they got all the way to a nuclear weapon and then they were going to kick to the next administration whether or not there was going to be a military conflict, which is what we've come

[A]

down to a detailed international accord with stages. There were parts at sunset.

[B]

But this concept of imminent, I mean, as we just saw from the.

[A]

That's the part from imminent threat to justify US Military.

[B]

No, but it's not because it goes to really this inherent policy that we see that has, you know, a thread that's come through the Democrat side that we still see from the Democratic Obama administration's policies of what is imminent. Imminent here really is that the Iranian regime continues to be a sponsor of terrorism and an amassing of missiles and inventory where they have declared themselves an enemy of the United States and of our allies, where they've committed themselves to nuclear enrichment and refused to declare themselves as not pursuing a nuclear weapon and have. Well, actually they have not, as we have seen, there were with prime ministers even just last year, we had the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency saying that they were just mere months away from being able to have several nuclear warheads. So this hadn't been this imminent issue. This imminent issue is one where people want to have them be with their hand almost on the button to something that has been completely assembled. In this instance, the administration has declared that they had information, an imminent aspect of that Iran was a threat both to us and to Israel, our ally, and had the opportunity to take an action to eliminate that threat. That's important. We don't have to wait.

[A]

Sorry, which threat?

[B]

We don't have to wait.

[A]

The nuclear threat was obliterated and none of these things.

[B]

No, no. He said that at those sites that we had taken action to eliminate where there are nuclear enrichment sites, that we had obliterated those sites, but they had continued to amass missile technology and missile inventory. They had continued, as had been declared to pursue their intention of nuclear enrichment. They had continued.

[A]

Rubio said they weren't enriching.

[B]

They had continued their intention to pursue nuclear enrichment. They had said and declared that they were going to do that. Their programs had not been completely abolished and their intention had not been abolished. They remained a threat. And the fact that we had the ability to intervene, that imminence is incredibly important. This standard of what is Imminent, I mean.

[A]

Well, people want to know why. Why now? That's why I'm asking.

[B]

Because the opportunity is there to eliminate an imminent threat that is an imminent threat to the United States and our operations and in the area and our ally.

[A]

I want to ask you about another standoff between the Pentagon and Anthropic, which is the only AI company whose products are used in classified systems for things like target id, intel assessments and battlefield simulations. This morning the Wall Street Journal is reporting that their AI was in fact used in these operations, even though Secretary Hegseth and Trump ordered it to be cut off due to this contractual dispute over the use of the model. Anthropic's CEO told CBS in an exclusive interview that it is up to Congress to act here to really create clarity as to how AI can be used. It's clearly essential. If the Pentagon's still using it in this operation, will Congress act here?

[B]

This is something that they're going to have to deal with and come to Congress before this is obviously in this particular circumstances. I'm unaware of this particular issue. This is going to have to be something that is going to have to be dealt with in more detail than obviously an interview on cbs.

[A]

Can I ask you, in that targeting of the Supreme Leader that Senator Cotton talked about, did the US Carry out that strike?

[B]

Well, I think this is very important, what's very clear here, and I think this is important to discuss. The President of the United States indicated that we were targeting the military, military infrastructure and not the regime and not regime change. And yesterday when I had the opportunity to talk to Secretary Rubio, I asked that question and he was very clear in the answer that we did not target Khomeini and the. And we were not targeting the leadership in Iran. So the aspect of that the United States was not undertaking regime change is very important. Our aspect of what the President of the United States has undertaken was this imminent threat that he described in his announcement and, and that I think his response and his statement to the United States is an important aspect.

[A]

But just to be clear, you're not saying that Israel carried out that strike without the US Permission. Green lighting, buy in.

[B]

You know, the fact that Khomeini has been a murderous authoritarian who has killed an unbelievable number of Israelis. They have an absolutely, I think, a strong basis in which to do so. I think it certainly shows that if you're a murderous authoritarian, and you are. That you're at risk. And it's better to be a friend of the United States than a murderous authoritarian. You know, it's also interesting that Putin just said that he lost, speaking of murderous dictators, that he lost a friend in losing Khamenei, and we certainly didn't see Khomeini as a friend.

[A]

We will leave it there, Congressman Turner. We'll be back in a moment with more FACE THE nation. We go now to Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who joins us from Austin. Good morning to you, Senator. I'm glad we got your audio working. You are from Houston, I believe, this morning?

[E]

I am. Good morning, Margaret.

[A]

Good morning. I wanted to ask you about Austin, though, because there are reports of three people dead, more than a dozen injured, following a mass shooting in that city. The FBI is saying this morning that their Joint Terrorism Task Force has joined the investigation. Is there any nexus to terrorism or anything that is going on in regard to the worldwide caution at this moment?

[E]

We don't know for sure. There are some early reports that this shooting may be connected to terrorism, but we need to follow the evidence and see in particular what motivated the shooting. We are certainly Heidi and I are praying for those who were wounded and the families of those who were killed. But at this point, we don't know what the evidence will show in terms of whether this was an act of terrorism.

[A]

We'll continue to follow those early reports. But, Senator, just looking at the global environment right now, CENTCOM announced three Americans were killed and five seriously wounded in this operation. President Trump and Vice President Vance campaigned on not getting America involved in new wars. What do you say to Americans this morning who are asking why we are in this conflict now?

[E]

President Trump's decision to launch this decisive action against Iran is the single most important decision of his presidency. I think he laid out powerfully and effectively why he is taking this action. He is taking this action because the government of Iran is a profound and malign influence. They have been the leading state sponsor of terrorism for 47 years. They have, over that time killed nearly 1,000Americans. They provide more than 90% of the funding for Hamas. They provide more than 90 percent of the funding for Hezbollah. The Iranian ayatollah was, until yesterday actively trying to murder the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump. I spent the entire day with President Trump on Friday right before he launched these attacks. He and I discussed this at length on Friday. My counsel to him was that the Iranian regime has never been weaker, that it was teetering, and now was the time. My advice was do not miss this opportunity. I think the president has acted boldly, he's acted decisively, and Iran no longer being led by a theocratic, murderous dictator. That makes America much, much safer.

[A]

Senator, you are not going to find a lot of people in any way defending the Supreme Leader, that is for sure. However, putting Americans in harm's way is what I'm pressing you on here. Did the President explain to you why he called off active diplomacy? Because at the very same time he was on that plane, the Vice President of the United States was talking to the Omani mediator who was trying to get a deal and told us that they were close to one. Why not choose diplomacy?

[E]

Because the diplomacy was an abject failure. The Iranians approached the diplomacy with arrogance, which with absolute hubris. They said they would not stop enriching. No matter what, they were going to continue to enrich uranium. They would not discuss zero enrichment. They claimed a right to enrich uranium in underground bunkers with no supervision. As President Trump said on Friday when he was with me in Texas, his line was zero enrichments. And the Iranians refused to discuss it. They also refused to discuss their proxies. They refused to discuss Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis. And President Trump understood that the Iranian, quote, negotiation was just a stall tactic, and that the only response, my advice to him, I said, there's only one deal you should accept, and it's the deal that you offered Maduro, which is if you want to leave and flee the country, you can do so. Anything else is unacceptable. And Khamenei made his choice.

[A]

Well, there are disputes there in terms of your characterization of what was actually on the table and what the administration had indicated it was willing to accept in terms of allowing enrichment for medical purposes and the like. But that's now, obviously.

[E]

So, Margaret, what I just told you. Yes, what I just told you is almost word for word what Secretary of State Marco Rubio told me yesterday.

[A]

Can you tell us now if you believe that there was an ongoing nuclear weapons program? One of the top arms control experts out there, David Albright, has written, there should be an immediate priority on rapid response operations to secure Iran's nuclear stockpiles. Right now. Can you assure the public that it will be secured, and if so, who is doing it if there are no Israeli or US Forces on the ground?

[E]

So there is no doubt that a year ago, Iran had an active and ongoing nuclear weapons program. We took out the vast majority of that at the end of the 12 day war.

[A]

That US intelligence assessment was not made public, if that is what was briefed to you.

[E]

We took out, we launched targeted bombs at the end of the 12 Day War, where we dropped the equivalent of about a third, third of a nuclear weapon on those underground facilities, facilities like Fordo, which is built into the base of a mountain, the bunker buster bombs we used. Israel doesn't have those bombs. No other country has those bombs. We took them out last year. The Iranians were still hell bent on rebuilding them. And one of the things we are doing right now is taking out their missiles, in particular the southern missile belt. Right now, Iran is building roughly 100 missiles a month. They're actively building missiles to threaten their neighbors.

[A]

They're firing some of them right now at their neighbors, at our allies.

[E]

They're illustrating powerfully they're attacking virtually every Arab neighbor that surrounds them. They are firing missiles that it's almost like they want to illustrate to the world just how maligned they are.

[A]

But in terms of containing the risk. Who's securing the nuclear material that you say still exists within Iran? Who's doing that?

[E]

Look, the quantity of nuclear material. I didn't say one, anything one way or another on that. What I said is they were building nuclear weapons a year ago and our bombing took that out. They also had an ongoing desire to rebuild them. I don't have present day intelligence on what progress they had made towards rebuilding nuclear weapons since we bombed their facilities. I have no indication that they were anywhere close to getting nuclear weapons because our bombing was devastating. And Margaret, that's one of the reasons I urged President Trump. Now is the time. You know, dictatorships survive because they're perceived as invulnerable. And in this instance, Iran decisively lost the 12 day war that weakened the regime and set up what the president is doing now.

[A]

Senator Ted Cruz, we have to leave it there for today. Thank you for joining us. We'll be right back with a lot more FACE THE Nation. Stay with us. We're joined now by Iran policy analyst Kareem Sajapour, who is with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, as well as former CENTCOM commander and CBS News contributor, retired General Frank McKenzie, who joins us from Tampa this morning. It's good to have the both of you here. This is such a dynamic situation right now. Karim, I want to start with you. Apparently, President Trump has told the Atlantic that he's willing to talk to the new leadership of Iran. Who's the new leadership of Iran?

[I]

I don't think that's even clear inside Tehran. Who is the new leadership? You know, this is one of the most unpopular regimes in the world and I'm skeptical that there's going to be anyone who is palatable for both the senior clergy, the revolutionary guards and 90 million Iranians. There's probably no government in the world with a greater gap between its government and its people than Iran. So I'm skeptical there's going to be any single figure who can immediately fill the enormous void of Ayatollah Khamenei.

[A]

General MacKenzie, what Karim is sketching out here sounds like chaos. Sounds like the potential setting for civil war. Is that how you would assess what we might be seeing come next?

[H]

I think we're still in the early stages of this campaign. There are several days of continued strikes ahead of us from Central Command and from Israel to reduce the Iranian ability to volley fire rockets at us. We'll see how that progresses in the next few days. The leadership targets have clearly had an effect and I believe the loss of Iranian effective national level command and control is going to have a pernicious effect on their ability to wage this war. As to what might follow, whether it's civil war, a fractured state, don't know. Actually, for me, it's hard to see how it could be worse than what we had before.

[A]

General, you know, this morning we have CENTCOM acknowledging at least three American deaths, five seriously wounded. These are just the opening hours. But it does appear that the situation is only escalating. What should the American people be prepared for?

[H]

The American people should be prepared for several more days of exchanges of long range, long range rockets. We're going to continue to strike them with our aircraft, with our TLAMs, our tomahawk land attack missiles. And the essential calculus over the next 72 to 96 hours, Margaret, is going to be whether or not we can reduce the Iranian ability to generate volleys. And by volley, I mean groups of missiles that are fired at our bases in the region. It's hard for them to generate a lot of missiles at Israel because of the range and just for various reasons. But what we want to do is we don't want them to let them fire large numbers of rockets at Al Yadid airbase, for example, Al Dhafra Air Base, or the cities of our friends in the region, which they have done indiscriminately. So that's going to be a key thing to watch over the next 72 to 96 hours. Centcom has been planned for this for years. We probably going to, we're probably going to take more casualties. I think the President's comments actually were spot on when he warned the American people that this wasn't going to be it wasn't going to be a cakewalk. I think he knows that. And, but I think, you know, we're probably going to have more casualties before this is over. I hope we can certainly minimize those. And I know that our commanders in the region are doing everything they can to keep those numbers down.

[A]

We have seen already some civilian casualties in some of those Gulf areas states who are taking the incoming. Karim, the president. You've heard all of our Republican guests say the President laid this all out very clearly. What I heard in that eight minute video was a recitation of 50 years of Iran's malicious activities. Everything from the bombing of the Marine Barracks in 1983 by Hezbollah, the taking over the embassy, all sorts of different things. Even linked the attack on the naval destroyer in Yemen to Iran, even though it's often attributed to Al Qaeda. It was just sort of an argument. Iran is bad. We haven't necessarily gotten the detail on the immediate threat to the United States. You've been watching this so closely. When the president said at the end of his video that the Iranian people should rise up, is there any chance that the Iranian people can do that?

[I]

That is a possibility, Margaret. As I said, this is an incredibly unpopular regime. I think they probably have at best 15 support. But at the moment, the Iranian people are spectators, not yet participants. President Trump also implored them to initially stay home for the next few days as it's unsafe, and then to seize their institutions. And so I think people are watching very carefully to see if there are any splits within the regime. But you know, they say about dictatorships that they're most murderous at the beginning, when at the beginning of the reign and at the end of the reign. And we saw this regime massacre potentially tens of thousands of people last month. And the question is whether they still have that coercive and cohesive security forces to continue to do the same.

[A]

Yeah, we're listening there and seeing some audio from celebrations among some people at the news of the Ayatollah's death. You have written, and I thought this was pretty eloquent. Ayatollah Khamenei lived by death to America and death to Israel. He died by death from America and Israel. What does this mean for the Islamic Republic to have him gone?

[I]

He was the longest serving dictator in the world. For four decades, he reigned over Iran for most Iranians, three quarters of whom were born after the 1979 revolution. He was the only ruler they ever knew. And I think this is a society, I would describe it as perhaps the most secular society in the Muslim Middle east, perhaps the most pro American society in the Middle East. And people Iranians recognize they'll never fulfill their enormous potential as a nation so long as the ethos of their government is death to America and death to Israel. And so there's an enormous demand for a government which is perhaps not democratic, but puts national interests before revolutionary ideology.

[A]

General McKenzie, very quickly, have you heard an end game? How does America declare victory here?

[H]

Well, first of all, Margaret, we need to have an end game in view, but we shouldn't be thinking about an off ramp right now. We need to think about continuing to impose our will on the enemy and continuing this fight at a very high level. Yes, there's an endgame. And for me, at least an end game would be either you get a regime that you can negotiate with, a new regime. That may be unlikely, but our history of predicting regime changes in the Middle east of totalitarian states, states is uniformly poor. The other alternative is you get some kind of successor state that you might be able to cut a deal with. While it may be unpalatable in some dimensions, nonetheless, you may get a regime that's going to talk to you about the nuclear program or the ballistic missile program. So I think there is an end state in view.

[A]

We will watch for it. General McKenzie, Karim, thank you for your time and thank you all for watching until next week, and it's been a busy one. For FACE THE nation, I'm Margaret Brennan. Today's guests were Senate Intelligence Chairman, Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Ohio Republican Congressman Mike Turner, former centcom commander, retired General Frank McKenzie, and analyst Kareem Sajapur. The senior executive producer of Face THE Nation is Mary Hager, and the executive producer producer is Anne Hsu. This broadcast was directed by Shelly Schwartz. Face THE Nation originates from CBS News in Washington. For more, we're [e-mail] and on YouTube. We're also rebroadcast on our CBS News 24. 7 streaming network at 12:30 on Sundays. And we're available through our apps CBS News and Paramount. Plus, a lot of short daily news podcasts focus on just one story. But right now you probably need more on up first from NPR, we bring you three of the world's top headlines every day in under 15 minutes because no one's story can capture all that's happening in this big crazy world of ours on any given morning. Listen now to the up first podcast from npr. Can you keep a secret?

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