Iran's Abbas Araghchi, Kevin Hassett and more

[0:01] I'm Margaret Brennan in Washington, and this week on Face the Nation, [0:05] the consequences of the war in Iran are increasingly reverberating across the globe. [0:10] The world's oil supply is under intensifying pressure as Iran threatens to blow up tankers [0:16] in the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. strikes back at the heart of Iran's critical oil hub. [0:22] President Trump is now asking U.S. allies to send warships to the region to help keep [0:27] the Strait open as Tehran doubles down on its blockade. We'll get the latest from Iran's [0:33] foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi. Meanwhile, the pain from the oil supply shock is beginning to [0:39] hit Americans at the gas pump. We'll ask President Trump's top economic advisor, [0:43] Kevin Hassett, what the administration can do to lower energy prices. The top Democrat on the [0:49] Intelligence Committee, Senator Mark Warner, and Texas Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw [0:53] will be here as well. Then, three violent attacks in the U.S. [0:58] last week. The U.S. has been calling for a new president to come to power, [0:58] against the backdrop of global conflict. How safe are we in the homeland? We'll get [1:03] analysis from our panel of experts. It's all just ahead on Face the Nation. [1:24] Good morning, and welcome to Face the Nation. This morning, the Israel Defense Forces say [1:29] they've launched a new wave of strikes in Iran, while Iranian state media says Iranian forces [1:34] have fired back at Israeli and American targets. The number of U.S. casualties is now at 13, [1:40] with the Department of Defense identifying the six [1:43] service-led U.S. troops that were killed in the attack. [1:43] The U.S. has also identified the six U.S. service members killed last week when their military [1:46] refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq. Our senior national security correspondent, [1:51] Charlie Daggett, has the latest from Tel Aviv. [1:54] Among the six aircrew now identified in the crash of the refueler, Tech Sergeant Tyler Simmons. [2:01] Sergeant Simmons was a boom operator, this video showing him refueling a fighter jet mid-flight. [2:07] Now, thousands more U.S. sailors are heading to the region, [2:11] equipped for close combat on sea or land. [2:15] The increased firepower comes as an Iranian-backed militant group in Iraq struck the U.S. embassy [2:22] compound, prompting officials to urge U.S. citizens to leave the country as soon as possible. [2:28] Even as President Trump claimed to have totally decimated Iranian military targets on Karg Island, [2:35] a crucial oil hub. Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz has crippled at least [2:41] 16 oil tankers and other vessels, to the point where President Trump has even asked [2:47] China to send warships. While his administration claims U.S. and Israeli forces have neutralized [2:54] most of Iran's military. Yet in an act of defiance, Iran's president and other senior [3:01] officials were seen on the streets, taking part in open air rallies earlier this week. [3:06] Here on the streets of Israel, there's been a sharp increase in the amount of rocket and [3:11] missile attacks from Iran and its proxy Hezbollah in the past 24 hours. They've already begun [3:17] cleanup of a strike here in Tel Aviv just this morning. Margaret. [3:23] It's Charlie Daggett in Tel Aviv. We turn now to the foreign minister of Iran, Abbas Aragchi. [3:30] Good evening to you, sir. [3:33] Well, good evening to you. Thank you for having me for the second time. [3:37] Yes, and they are extraordinary times. Minister President Trump said this weekend he is not [3:44] ready to make a deal with Iran because the terms aren't good enough yet. His administration is [3:51] saying this war could last another three and a half weeks or so. Has Iran asked for a ceasefire? [3:58] No, we never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation. We are ready [4:06] to defend ourselves as long as it takes. And this is what we have done so far, and we continue to do [4:14] that until President Trump comes to the point that this is an illegal war with no [4:22] victory, and we are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes. And this is what we have done so [4:24] And, you know, there are, you know, people being killed only because President Trump [4:38] wants to have fun. [4:39] This is what he has said. [4:40] MS. [4:42] Have fun? [4:43] MR. [4:44] Yes. [4:45] This is what he said, that they are sinking, you know, ships and targeting different places [4:50] because it is fun. [4:53] And the Secretary of War has said that there is no mercy. [5:04] And this is actually a war crime. [5:06] Even saying that is a war crime. [5:09] So this is a war of choice by President Trump and the United States. [5:15] And we are going to continue our self-defense. [5:18] MS. [5:19] Well, that may be your position, but, sir, this is a war of survival for your government. [5:25] Minister, don't you have to negotiate and reach out, either directly or through a third [5:30] party? [5:32] MR. [5:33] No, it's not a war of survival. [5:34] We are, you know, stable and strong enough. [5:37] We are only defending our people from, you know, this act of aggression. [5:46] And we don't see any reason why we should talk with Americans, because we were talking [5:54] with them when they decided to attack us. [5:56] And that was what happened. [5:56] MS. [5:56] We were talking with them for the second time. [5:58] There is no good experience talking with the Americans. [6:02] We were talking. [6:03] So why they decided to attack us? [6:05] So what is good if we go back to talk once again? [6:09] MS. [6:10] Well, I want to come back to that in just a moment. [6:13] You're referring to the diplomacy with President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his [6:18] envoy, Steve Witkoff. [6:19] But just to continue on this, Iran is sending its drones and its missiles into your neighboring [6:25] countries. [6:26] Iran is sending its drones and its missiles into your American allies throughout the Gulf. [6:30] Before the war, your government traded with them. [6:33] You had relations with them. [6:35] If your government survives this conflict, how do you go back to doing business with [6:41] countries you're sending drones into and hitting civilian targets? [6:45] MR. [6:46] Well, obviously, these are the countries who have given their soil to American forces [6:51] to attack us. [6:53] So what can we do? [6:54] We just sit and watch that Americans are — American forces are attacking us from their soil, and [6:58] the drones are going into civilian areas and hitting plants and hotels and civilians. [7:03] MR. [7:04] No, no. [7:05] This is not the fact. [7:06] We are only targeting American assets, American installations, American military bases. [7:11] Everything belongs to Americans. [7:13] And this is a fact that they are using their soil. [7:16] You know, just — there are many, many examples. [7:19] Just yesterday, they, you know, attacked our islands using HIMARS artillery missiles. [7:22] MR. [7:23] You're right. [7:24] You're right. [7:25] You're right. [7:26] MR. [7:27] They were using artillery rockets, which is — which are low-range, you know, rockets, [7:33] and they used the territory of UAE to attack us. [7:37] Some — a week ago, three F-15 jet fighters were shot down, apparently, by a friendly [7:45] fire in Kuwait, but nobody asked what they were doing in Kuwait. [7:50] They were using Kuwait and, you know, airspace of a neighborly, a friendly country to attack [7:56] us. [7:57] So it is obvious we cannot just, you know, remain, you know, silent again. [8:01] MS. [8:02] Right. [8:03] Well, so many of these countries are part of CENTCOM, but this is — the point is that [8:07] it's going to hurt your country in the long term. [8:09] But when we talk about the Strait of Hormuz, which is such an important transit point for [8:14] global trade, you have said it is closed to Israel and it's closed to the United States. [8:20] The Financial Times is reporting that European diplomats from France and Italy are talking [8:25] to your government about trying to get safe passage. [8:25] MS. [8:26] They are trying to get safe passage for their ships. [8:29] Are you open to restarting oil and gas vessels going through there? [8:35] DR. [8:37] Well, we are open to countries who want to talk to us about the safe passage of [8:41] their vessels. [8:42] MS. [8:43] You are negotiating with France and Italy? [8:44] DR. [8:46] Well, I cannot mention any country in particular, but we have been approached [8:51] by a number of countries who want to have a safe passage for their vessels, and this [8:57] is up to our control. [8:57] MS. [8:58] I understand. [8:58] DR. [8:59] Well, they have already decided to let a group of vessels belonging to different countries [9:07] to pass in a safe and secure way. [9:10] So we provide them security to pass, because we have not closed this strait. [9:15] They are not coming themselves because of the insecurity which is there because of the [9:19] aggression by the U.S. [9:20] MS. [9:22] I want to ask you again about the negotiations. [9:24] Iran has declared it has 440 kilos or so. [9:28] That is a huge amount of nuclear material. [9:30] Where is that material now? [9:32] Who has custody of it? [9:33] DR. [9:35] Well, we have not declared. [9:36] This is verified and declared by the agency. [9:39] MS. [9:40] That's right. [9:41] DR. [9:42] This is not a secret. [9:43] This is not a secret. [9:44] You know, the agency has said in his many reports the exact amount of our enriched nuclear [9:48] material. [9:49] MS. [9:50] Yes. [9:51] So where is it now? [9:52] Who has custody of it? [9:53] DR. [9:54] They are under the rubble. [9:55] You know, our nuclear facilities were attacked. [9:58] And everything is under the rubble. [9:59] Of course, you know, there is the possibility to retreat them, but under the supervision [10:08] of the agency. [10:10] If one day we come to the conclusion to do that, it would be under the supervision of [10:15] the agency. [10:16] But for the time being, we have no program, we have no plan to recover them from under [10:20] the rubble. [10:21] MS. [10:22] Am I understanding you here? [10:23] Because I know that you said 48 hours before the U.S. strikes happened, you would personally [10:29] offer to President Trump's negotiators to take that 440-kilo amount of 60 percent enriched [10:37] material and to dilute it. [10:39] You said Iran was ready to give that material away. [10:42] This was in the deal that was also presented to Vice President Vance by Oman. [10:47] Today, is Iran still willing to let go of that enriched uranium? [10:52] DR. [10:54] Well, that was one of the elements of a deal that we were negotiating with our—the [10:58] people. [10:59] our American interlocutors. That element dealt with the question of Iran's 60 percent enriched [11:09] material. And I said, I offered actually that we are ready to dilute those enriched material [11:16] or down blend them, as they say, into lower percentage. So that was a big offer, a big [11:23] concession in order to prove that Iran has never wanted weapons and would never want them. [11:31] Are you willing to give that up now? [11:32] Well, there is nothing on the table right now. Everything depends on the future. If [11:41] any time in the future we decide to enter into negotiation with the U.S. or other interlocutors, [11:48] you know, we may decide what to put on the table. For the time being, nothing is on the table. [11:54] There are at least four Americans being held at Evin Prison that we know of, [11:59] including a journalist Reza Valhazadeh and Kamran Hekmati, a 61-year-old man. [12:05] What is the status of those Americans? Are they safe? [12:08] Well, if the U.S. and Israel do not attack our prisons, I guess they are safe. [12:17] Foreign Minister, we are running out of time, and I can see the Internet is going [12:23] in and out here. I just do want to point out, you're speaking to us via Zoom. [12:27] Yes. [12:29] The Iranian [12:29] Yes. [12:29] people don't have open Internet access. But you do. Why? [12:35] Well, because I'm the voice of Iranians, and I have to defend their right. [12:42] So this is why I have access to Internet, to just, [12:49] you know, have our voice being heard by the international community. [12:55] But Internet is closed because of the security reasons, because we are under attack, [13:00] we are under aggression, and we have to do everything to protect our people. [13:05] In any country, there are, you know, urgent measures taken for the sake of war. [13:12] Minister, I'm glad the uplink worked to talk to you right now. [13:16] We thank you for your time this morning. [13:19] Face the Nation will be back in a minute. Stay with us. [13:25] We go now to President Trump's top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett. Good morning to you. [13:30] Good morning. [13:31] The IDF spokesperson said this morning, [13:35] that Israel's combat operations will go through the beginning of April. [13:39] Is that also the U.S. timeline? And, if so, [13:42] how much will this conflict cost the economy if it goes on another three-and-a-half weeks? [13:47] Right. Well, one of the things that we have been briefed on almost every day [13:53] is what's going on and what the president is being briefed on with regard to the Iran war. [13:59] And, as of yesterday, the story was, the message was, that people, [14:05] the Defense Department of War believed that it would take four to six weeks to complete this mission [14:11] and that we're ahead of schedule. And so we're a couple of weeks in. [14:14] And I think that should give you some clarity about [14:17] when we expect that the president will decide that we have achieved his objectives. [14:22] The other thing I can say is that you can also look at futures markets, [14:26] which are interesting, because you have cited over and over the spot price of gasoline, [14:31] which, of course, is affected right now by the disruption of the strait. [14:35] Yes. [14:35] But if you look at the futures prices, they're expecting a rapid, [14:38] rapid end to this situation and much, much lower prices. [14:43] In fact, I don't think I have seen a sort of future price path [14:46] with this steep decline in all my years watching futures. [14:49] Well, we will talk about the oil trade later on in the program as those markets [14:53] prepare to open later today. But the International Energy Agency called this the largest supply [14:59] disruption in the history of the global oil market. So I'm not sure how much past charts [15:05] are a future indicator here. But the president is calling on other countries [15:08] now to send ships to help protect the Strait of Hormuz. You just heard Iran's foreign minister [15:13] saying Tehran has been approached by other countries about negotiating their way through [15:18] the strait. If that kind of negotiation happens, are Americans just going to get cut out here? [15:23] Well, first of all, you have to understand that America [15:28] is not going to have its economy harmed by what the Iranians are doing. The bottom line is that, [15:35] in the 70s, we didn't produce much oil, but now we do. And so America is in a very strong position. [15:41] They think that they're going to harm the U.S. economy and get President Trump to back down. [15:45] There couldn't be anything that was a stupider thing to say, because the bottom line is that [15:50] our economy has got all this momentum in the world, and we've got lots and lots of oil. [15:54] We have lots of trading partners that are more on the hook from imported oil from these guys. [15:59] And, as we can see, it's completely unacceptable that a government that would murder 40,000 [16:05] of their people just a few months ago would be blackmailing countries to let stuff through. [16:10] President Trump thinks that is unacceptable. [16:12] Yeah. [16:12] And, for the global economy, we need to fix it, and we're going to fix it fast. [16:15] OK. It is a global market, but I take your point. There is supply. Of course, [16:20] there's refining. There's other interruptions to the ability to access oil and gas. [16:25] But gas prices themselves are up more than 20 percent since this conflict has begun. [16:31] Jet fuel prices are leading airlines to raise ticket prices quickly. That's not my opinion. [16:35] That's the United Airlines CEO who just said that. [16:38] The American Farm Bureau warned of supply chain shocks [16:41] when we already have record high input prices. [16:45] So, can you give us some kind of projection here on how [16:48] this will impact consumer prices and for how long? [16:51] For sure. And I want you to know that this is something that the government has been [16:57] studying for decades. And even myself, when I first came in as chairman of the Council [17:01] of Economic Advisers, one of the first assignments I got from General Mattis [17:04] was to study oil prices. [17:05] What happens if there are oil disruptions? And so we know how to minimize the impact [17:12] of this disruption. Now, you can't make it completely go away, but you can minimize it. [17:15] And so we're increasing the amount of permits that we're giving to Venezuela. [17:20] We're getting new sources of fertilizer from Morocco and from Venezuela and other [17:26] places to make sure that our farmers have the fertilizer they need. And we're even [17:30] thinking ahead about the jet fuel problem, which is really mostly a problem for jet fuel coming [17:35] from Asia. And we've been in discussions to make it easier for foreign ships to go from the Gulf of [17:42] America over to the West Coast to make sure that we don't have a disruption from jet fuel as well. [17:47] And so we are looking at every scenario, and we've got a plan for each scenario. [17:51] OK. Are you going to trigger those things and make them operational, [17:55] or are you just looking at them? And how do you prevent food prices from also going up? [18:00] Right. Well, the big problem right now would be energy prices. And we're watching, [18:06] and monitoring closely. We're looking at things every day and seeing how quickly we progress. [18:10] The bottom line is, again, that the reason why futures markets for oil are dropping down towards [18:15] 60 and even below 50 in the long run is that we expect that, if Iran stops being this disruptive [18:22] terrorist force in the Middle East, that there will be a boom in oil production and industrial [18:28] production. But think about the harm, the harm that this evil government has done to their own [18:33] people. Yeah. [18:33] Back in the 70s, [18:36] before the revolution, Iran was the 17th largest economy in the world. Now it's something like the [18:41] 50th. And so they've run their country into the ground. No one's going to defend the regime's [18:44] human rights record on this program. [18:46] But the point is that I wanted to just say that the countries around them, [18:49] they also suffer from the risk of having them go nuts and attack them. And so we expect that [18:55] the global economy is going to have a big positive shock as soon as this is over. And we're still [18:59] being briefed that it would be four to six weeks from the beginning and that we're ahead of [19:03] schedule. A big positive shock, [19:06] six weeks. So this is an April 9th scenario you're talking about. You're going to see some kind of [19:11] The president will decide, the president will decide if they no longer have the capability [19:16] of blackmailing us and harming our neighbors. And once he decides that, [19:21] then he'll call an end to the war. [19:22] That's a pretty broad definition. [19:24] Well, we've destroyed their Navy. We've destroyed their Air Force and so on. [19:28] And so I think we're well on the way. [19:30] Well, tell me, how much is this war going to cost? Because I know the Pentagon briefed it's [19:35] going to be about $11.3 billion. [19:37] Yeah. [19:37] Do you need to ask Congress for more money to pay for what you're doing? [19:40] I think right now we've got what we need. Whether we have to go back to Congress [19:45] for more is something that I think that Russ Vogt and OMB will look into. But the latest [19:51] number, you said 11.3. The latest number I was briefed on was 12. And so it's consistent. [19:56] So this is something that we've got the weapons that we've already got in place to do this. [20:01] And so we're not necessarily going to need any kind of supplemental. [20:03] More than that was spent just the first week of the war. You know that. [20:06] It was over $5 billion just in munitions. [20:07] Mm-hmm. [20:09] You're solid on the 12? [20:10] I said 12 billion was – [20:11] For six weeks of war? [20:12] No, I'm sorry. The 12 billion was what I was briefed has been spent so far. [20:18] Oh, gotcha. Kevin Hassett, thank you very much. We'll be right back with a lot more Face [20:23] the Nation. We turn now to the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Democratic [20:29] Senator Mark Warner. He joins us this morning from Richmond, Virginia. Senator, a lot to [20:36] ask you about in regard to Iran, but I want to start first on the homeland. We had several [20:41] attacks, two being investigated as terror incidents here at home. Do we still have the [20:47] senator? Okay. Sorry. Glad he can still hear me. [20:51] I'm here, yes. [20:52] The incidents here at home, including one in Virginia at Old Dominion University, [20:57] the gunman had served several years in prison for trying to support ISIS. He walked into an [21:03] Army ROTC class and he shot the instructor dead. He injured two others. How does a convicted ISIS [21:11] supporter – [21:13] Judge Mark Warner. [21:14] So, the FBI's going to do this right under the nose of law enforcement. Whose job was it to track him? [21:22] Well, Margaret, I think the job was supposed to be the FBI. And unfortunately, under this FBI [21:30] director, Kash Patel, he has fired many of the top counterterrorism folks, counterespionage folks. [21:37] And he has taken – and I've reported this many times – close to a third of our FBI officers off doing counterterrorism. [21:43] And I've reported this many times. Close to a third of our FBI officers off doing counterterrorism. But that's a lot of money. [21:43] $3.4 billion. [21:43] $3.4 billion. [21:44] $3.4 billion. [21:44] $3.4 billion. [21:44] $3.4 billion. [21:45] $3.4 billion. [21:45] $3.4 billion. [21:45] $3.4 billion. [21:46] or doing sex crimes and put him on immigration enforcement i knew this was going to come back [21:51] and bite us and i believe while there may not be a direct relationship here we know in all of the [21:57] offices they've taken these fbi agents off their critical cases and put them on immigration [22:06] enforcement i think that was a mistake i want to find out how this guy was able to still be on the [22:11] loose um and we've got to get in we've got to get an investigation but we've got to get an fbi that [22:17] is back focused on protecting the homeland and preventing whether it be terrorist or espionage [22:22] taking place at this point are you aware of any credible threats to the homeland i have not been [22:29] briefed in the last few days on a additional credible threat but this let's put it like this [22:36] these are the things you have to plan for if you are planning on going to war on a war of choice [22:43] this is a war of choice [22:44] and if you just go through quickly the president said there were going to be four goals [22:48] regime change we've actually got a worse supreme leader than the previous one and you heard the [22:54] foreign minister it doesn't sound like they're ready to move out yeah the uranium enrichment [22:58] it would take troops on the ground getting rid of the missiles we've betrayed some of those but the [23:03] crazy thing was that we didn't take the ukrainian offer to go after to use their drones which are [23:09] much cheaper i need to talk to you about finally we've got the straight hormones closed i gotta go [23:13] to a break and i'm coming [23:14] back to talk to you where i don't have to cut you off let me just go to this break now welcome back [23:26] to face the nation we return now to our conversation with senator mark warner senator we [23:32] were talking about iran before that break it was a year ago that the country's intelligence leaders [23:39] sat before your committee and provided testimony at the worldwide threats briefing and at that [23:45] point the test testimony was quote we continue to assess iran is not building a nuclear weapon [23:52] and that khamenei has not reauthorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003. [23:58] clearly israel disagreed with that u.s assessment and they persuaded president trump [24:03] were those u.s intelligence leaders wrong no they were not there was no imminent threat [24:13] to the united states and i don't believe there was even an imminent threat to israel from iran [24:20] over a period of time particularly with the ballistic missile capability israel would be more [24:26] the decision to go to war in this case was a choice by president trump and as i was [24:31] racing through i won't go through the whole list again but it was regime change [24:34] get rid of the enriched uranium get rid of their missiles sink the navy [24:38] i'm not sure we have reached a successful conclusion on any of those four particularly [24:44] on the last point the navy they're still you know have hundreds and hundreds of these speedboats [24:49] that they can plant mines in the straight arm moves which they've already partially mined and [24:56] tested theirôiare in this circumstance where you know he's going to decide i guess when he feels it [25:00] i poison to mild I think was the quote yeah the president used and is that the criteria [25:05] when i get a lot of those sailors on the n on the ford that are homeported in norfolk virginia and [25:13] waiting for him to feel right in the bones that doesn't seem to be the right criteria [25:16] what we will get an update from those intelligence leaders before your committee later this week [25:21] we'll be watching that closely i want to specifically ask you though about a battle [25:25] ask you, though, about what happened with this deadly strike on an elementary school in Manab, [25:32] Iran. Our CBS reporting is that nearly 200 people were killed, likely the result of outdated [25:38] intelligence that was used for the target coordinates, according to the preliminary [25:43] assessment. Secretary Hegseth said he has appointed an investigator from outside [25:48] Central Command to do a full probe. From what you have been told, did the fatal error originate [25:55] from within the intelligence community, or was this an issue with the military not vetting the [26:01] intelligence they were given? Margaret, we've only got preliminary assessments, and I want a [26:09] thorough investigation. But what I don't want to do is jump to the conclusion, whether it was CENTCOM [26:14] or whether it was Defense Intelligence Agency, that's what thorough investigations are supposed [26:20] to be for. Clearly, it was an American strike. I again feel a little disappointed that the [26:26] president tried to deny that at first. [26:27] Or say it was even the Iranians. This is where, you know, what we've got, you know, the words of the [26:34] president of the United States are terribly important in moments like this. And unfortunately, [26:39] President Trump uses loose language all the time, didn't ever come to the American people on this [26:45] war of choice and say what our goals are. And we still don't know other than the four goals he [26:51] outlined. I'm not sure we're going to accomplish, but he's going to then, whenever he decides. [26:55] Where I disagree with my friend Kevin Hassett is, [26:57] this is having a huge economic effect. In Virginia, two weeks ago, gas prices were $2.81. [27:04] Today, they're about $3.45. I saw a farmer yesterday, his fertilizer cost had gone up 40%. [27:09] No, and we'll continue to track that. Just to put a fine point on this, though, because this was a [27:15] school full of children. If a mistake like this happens, are you confident in the rest of U.S. [27:24] intelligence that is continuing to be used for targeting and to inform what is happening on the [27:28] ground? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. [27:29] I don't know. I don't know. [27:29] I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. [27:33] I'm only—I think our school is pretty leading. [27:38] OK, so you should be indemnifying a school that does not還有alion здраво Hallelujah. [27:41] well, this is why we want the investigation. This school, though, was absolutely adjacent [27:44] was absolutely adjacent to an Iranian military base. That does not excuse what happened, [27:50] but that's why before I cast blame on whether it was the military or DIA, I want to get the facts. [27:54] I think we'd all do a better job if we actually argued from facts rather than from suppositions. [27:56] Well, on the facts, the Senate failed to advance that home issue. [27:58] Well, on the facts, the Senate failed to advance that home issue. [27:59] Well, on the facts, the Senate failed to advance that home issue. [28:00] On the facts, the Senate failed to advance that Homeland Security funding for the fourth time [28:04] yesterday. We have airline CEOs faulting Congress for not paying TSA agents. I've got video of TSA [28:11] workers on food lines because they just missed their second paycheck, half paycheck last time, [28:17] full paycheck this Friday. Why can't your leaders break this deadlock? [28:24] Margaret, I think we should. And what we have offered is let's pay TSA, let's pay FEMA, [28:31] let's pay the National Guard, or I'm sorry, the Coast Guard, let's pay CISA. I'd even say let's [28:36] pay Customs and Border Patrol. If we can't agree on ICE reforms, let's pay everybody else. With [28:44] the budget that the Republicans laid out, why won't they just take yes for an answer? [28:48] Well, they say it's a whole scale funding, not piecemeal. [28:53] If you're going to fund 95% as we did the balance of the government, why not do the balance of DHS [29:00] with the exception of... [29:02] Well, we will be watching that. Senator Warner, thank you for your time this morning. We'll be [29:07] right back. We go now to Texas Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw, who joins us from [29:15] Houston. Welcome back to Face the Nation. You, in a previous life, were a Navy SEAL. So just to [29:22] tap into your expertise a little bit here, when you see that President Trump is deploying a few [29:28] thousand more Marines in an expeditionary unit to join the 50,000 forces we have there, [29:35] what does that signal to you? [29:37] I think it signals that there's a seriousness of supporting whatever contingency operations [29:45] might be needed. I don't think people should take that as a boots-on-the-ground deployment, [29:51] especially with only 5,000 troops. These type of units are, you know, they could be for evacuating [29:58] American citizens out of Gulf allied countries. They could be for a number of things. So [30:02] I take it as a seriousness of committing to the situation, which is exactly what is needed. [30:08] If you're going to do this, which we have done, you need to see it through. That's what I would [30:12] be advising the president. I'd be advising the president to take very seriously the Straits of [30:16] Hormuz. This is something we practice on a yearly basis. This is why he's asked allies to come to [30:20] our aid to protect it, because we practice this as an exercise yearly with 30-plus nations. So [30:26] I think he's doing what's needed. [30:30] So Secretary Hegseth said earlier this month Operation Epic Fury would have, quote, [30:36] no stupid rules of engagement. [30:39] Two days later, he said, we are punching them while they're down, which is exactly how it should be. [30:43] This Friday, he said, no quarter, no mercy for our enemies. You've served in uniform. Do you have [30:52] any concern that this kind of language is sending the wrong message to our troops who are bound by [30:58] standards of proportionality or that it could backfire on our troops? [31:03] No. If you fought in these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, [31:11] you're well acquainted with bad rules of engagement. You know, the kind of thing that says, [31:17] look, you can't shoot unless you're shot at. What he's saying is that we are targeting Iranian [31:22] military without quarter. That's what he's saying. He's making it very clear for our military, [31:29] which is a clarity that our military has lacked in many of these conflicts of the past. [31:36] So even though there are no ground troops at this point, you think that this is — [31:42] I can't. [31:44] Can you hear me? [31:46] I can. [31:47] OK. So you don't take that as sending the wrong signal to our troops whatsoever or that it could [31:53] inflame enemies who — if there are ever ground troops or a downed air pilot, for example, [31:59] that they would be mistreated? [32:03] No, no. Absolutely not. The rules of engagement will be very clear and in place and in writing [32:09] for our troops. He is saying that to the American people, right? So there's military language that [32:15] our troops abide by, which will be very clear. I don't think it sends any wrong [32:19] message. I think it's — I think it sends exactly the right message. Again, [32:23] my experience in the military, I know what that means. [32:26] OK. The last time you were with us, we spoke about [32:31] you felt the need for moral clarity. That was a phrase you used for some within your own party, [32:35] specifically around anti-Semitism in this country. [32:39] I want to read for you a few things that some Republican lawmakers said this week. [32:43] Andy Ogles of Tennessee said, America is a product of English Christian culture. Muslims don't belong [32:49] in American society. Florida's Randy Fine said, we need more Islamophobia, not less. Fear of Islam [32:56] is rational. And Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama posted a picture of the 9-11 attack [33:02] next to the New York City mayor at dinner, breaking his fast at Ramadan with the phrase, [33:08] the enemy is inside the gates. What do you think of this language? [33:12] And should Republican leaders speak up about it? [33:15] I still think it's fairly fringe. I mean, [33:21] the truth of the matter is radical Islamism is bad. We've always known that. That should not [33:28] be a controversial statement at all. But that's not what they said. [33:31] There are plenty of peaceful Muslims who live among us. I realize that. But that's not a [33:35] mainstream. That's not a mainstream narrative by any stretch. I think trying to fight it [33:42] internally probably gives it a lot more air than is necessary. We've seen that to be the case. [33:49] There's a Republican conflict ongoing right now over Israel and the anti-Semitism issues. [33:56] And so one could make the argument that speaking out against it has only inflamed it. [34:01] So, look, I still think that's very fringe. I don't think that's certainly not the administration's [34:05] position. And we're going to go after radical Islam. That's why we need to fund agencies like [34:11] DHS. And that's what we're going to do. You spoke about this culture of [34:17] misinformation we're living in. And you pointed to that as one of the [34:20] factors in your recent primary loss. What lessons should other Republicans take from that? [34:27] What do you mean? [34:28] Well, I mean, I'm a unique Republican. You know, I've been the target of online smears [34:36] and conspiracies for a very long time. And my election was basically a product of that. [34:42] You know, first of all, you have about 20 percent of Republican voters bothering to even vote at a [34:45] primary. And then you have dozens of online smears and conspiracies that people were going into the [34:51] voting booth actually believing. And so I think that's what we're going to do. And I think that's [34:52] what we're going to do. And I think that's what we're going to do. And I think that's what we're [34:52] going to do. And I think that's what we're going to do. And I think that's what we're going to do. [34:52] I mean, believing that it was worth millions of dollars from insider trading, [34:56] doesn't matter how many times we thought we had debunked that or that other people and influencers [35:02] and what have not have debunked it, all of these things, people still went in believing it. [35:07] And so the lesson to be learned is, look, you've got to get the truth out. You've got to try. [35:14] But ultimately, this is a question for the American people. Are you going to believe everything you [35:17] read online or that's sent to you in your mail? I mean, Democrats spent almost a million dollars [35:21] also pushing these smears on television. So Republican voters are going to the voting booth, [35:26] believing what a Democrat told them on TV based on a smear headline written by a liberal reporter [35:34] in D.C. So that's the lesson. And it's not just for Republican politicians. It's the lesson for [35:39] Republican voters. Misinformation. Congressman, we appreciate your time today. We'll be right back. [35:50] And we're joined now by a panel of experts, Johnny Gannon's former CIA operative with [35:54] extensive Iran experience. Sam Vinograd is a CBS [35:57] News national security contributor and was a top counterterrorism official under the Biden [36:01] administration. And Kevin Book is an energy policy expert and analyst. There is a lot for you to [36:07] break down for me. But Johnny, I want to start with you. You just came back from the UAE. They [36:12] have taken a lot of incoming, in particular, drones. More than anybody else. And that seems [36:16] to really have been underestimated by the United States. We've seen embassies, CIA stations, [36:23] U.S. posts hit. What was it like to be in the midst of that kind of warfare? [36:27] Well, look, there's a discipline to Abu Dhabi and Dubai right now. Commerce is continuing. People [36:32] are still going to work. You've probably seen video of Sheikh Mohammed, the president of the UAE, [36:37] in the mall, talking with civilians, greeting children. But there is no doubt that people [36:43] are beginning to feel these attacks. I was on the ground in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai [36:47] after 26 years at CIA. It's my first war zone observed from a luxury hotel. But I noticed that [36:54] as the week went on, I was getting edgy. There's the interceptors overhead. [36:58] There's the loud booms, hotel windows shaking, and alerts going off on your phone at all hours [37:05] of the day and night. So for the time being, it looks like the majority of expats are staying put. [37:10] But there is an exodus, and there is impact on the economies there for our partners. [37:15] Paying for our partners economically. And those partners, many of them [37:19] oil producers, natural gas producers. But those mines and those drones, they're cheap, [37:24] but apparently they're effective at shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, Kevin. [37:28] Do you anticipate that oil prices are going to be in this 100 range? I know Iran's saying $200 a barrel. [37:35] Well, look, if the Strait reopened today, it could still take weeks to bring production back on. [37:40] And damaged facilities, maybe months. So there's room for the price to rise as long as the Strait [37:45] stays closed. And then if we look at the strategic reserve draw, the good news is that we've drawn [37:51] 400 million barrels out of the oil savings account for the industrialized world. The bad news is that [37:56] we've drawn 400 million barrels out of the oil savings account for the industrialized world. [37:59] The bad news is that we've drawn 400 million barrels out of the oil savings account for the industrialized world. [38:00] Long term, the White House says, oh, we'll buy it back when it's cheaper. [38:03] Well, that's the right way to do it. You buy insurance when you don't need it. But right now, [38:07] we need it. [38:08] Sam, on the homeland, we had all these horrific incidents, including that 41-year-old man who [38:13] drove a car with explosives into Michigan's largest synagogue. He was a naturalized U.S. [38:19] citizen. Brothers were members of Hezbollah, who had recently been killed in Lebanon along with [38:25] their children. We don't know yet if the attacker was involved. [38:29] But what do you understand about the threat picture at home? [38:33] Margaret, the diversity and volume of terrorist threats to this country has never been higher. [38:38] We have a broad range of threat actors in play, individuals inspired and directed by countries [38:42] like Iran, by foreign terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and ISIS, and individuals motivated [38:48] by domestic political grievances and racial animus and more. At the same time, the Internet has been [38:54] a force multiplier for terrorism. Individuals have such easy access to content online that [38:59] can radicalize them. And importantly, such easy access to information on tactics, techniques and [39:05] targets, which means that they can plot their attacks more quickly and make their attacks more [39:11] effective. What that really means is we need a whole new model for counterterrorism in this [39:16] country that includes law enforcement, but also includes members of the public. [39:21] We'll be listening if there are any answers at this worldwide threats briefing later this week [39:24] that Senator Warner will help oversee. Johnny, on what is happening, [39:30] we already had the Gaza situation having raised the global threat picture. Now around the world, [39:39] Americans are being warned to be very careful. How do you understand what Sam is talking about [39:46] here at home? I mean, what about Americans overseas? Well, there's no doubt that the [39:51] threats are increasing. I'm a little bit dubious that the Iranian regime right now can reach out [39:57] and touch us in the homeland. Certainly people who are still in the Gulf, [40:01] are vulnerable. And I think that on the back end of this, the intelligence community and our federal [40:06] law enforcement are going to have to be very focused and well resourced, given what we saw [40:12] after the Soleimani strike, which was that the Iranians engaged in lethal operations around the [40:17] world trying to kill American officials or former officials. So we can expect that, I think, on the [40:23] back end of this. So, I mean, it's still making people really nervous, Sam. I mean, even just in [40:31] New York, you had the... [40:32] The two Pennsylvania men, two U.S. citizens who were arrested, they were going to protest the [40:38] anti-Muslim protest in New York, but they claimed that they had ties to ISIS. It's not clearly [40:45] directed by a state. It's not clearly directed by anyone. [40:49] Inspired. [40:50] Inspired. How do you protect yourself? [40:53] Well, what we have to think about today is not just how to enhance physical security protections [40:57] at targets. Certainly the government has a role to play in helping synagogues, churches, mosques, [41:02] schools. [41:03] And others in putting up security barriers, training security officers, and those physical [41:07] security enhancements. We also really have to double down on information and intelligence [41:11] sharing. That's a government function, but it also has to include the public. And what I mean by that [41:16] is the threat landscape is so dispersed. There's so many tentacles of this, that when individuals [41:22] and communities see an individual that may be exhibiting signs of violence, they have to ask [41:26] for help from law enforcement, from a social worker, from a mental health worker, because the [41:30] pathway and the path to radicalization and mobilization is so diverse. And so, I think that's [41:33] interesting. [41:33] And when you talk about that, and I think that's what I'm looking at, I think that's [41:36] what I'm looking at is that the path to radicalization is just so rapid. And I do think, Johnny, that [41:40] the Iranian regime has demonstrated an incredible capacity to be flexible and adaptive. They [41:45] played a long game here. They have invested in propaganda and tools in this country, as well as [41:50] just hiring people to do their dirty work for them to such an extent that I am concerned that they [41:56] have the intent and the capability to, if not direct attacks here in the homeland, to inspire [42:00] them. [42:00] I'm with you 100% on that, Sam. [42:02] Well, I'm not a spokesman for the U.S. government. [42:03] Our intelligence community has been very focused on that threat in recent years as well as federal law enforcement [42:09] So Kevin we heard from one of the president's advisers. He's got a broad array of them David Sachs [42:16] He's not national security guys the tech guy [42:18] But he had an opinion and he went public with it and he said the US is a much more powerful country than Iran [42:24] But they have a dead man switch over the economic faith of the faith fate [42:28] Excuse me of the Gulf states and beyond that there seems to be pressure to end this sooner rather than later [42:34] Is there a time frame on these projections? [42:37] You're you're looking at in terms of the pain threshold for oil and gas for Americans [42:43] Margaret Iran's asymmetric control over the strait is a pretty powerful tool and we're seeing that right now [42:48] For all these producers who require that seaborne access to their markets [42:53] They're shutting in supply right now so that they they don't overflow their own storage [42:58] whether [42:58] That means is that the inventories that are forward positioned in the world are going to be exhausted the strategic reserves that are coming to [43:04] The rescue will be used but we're looking at weeks before things start to get very tight already in Asian economies [43:09] You're seeing refiners cutting their runs you're seeing export controls so that products that are refined in those economies aren't going to global markets [43:16] We're very insulated here in the United States [43:19] We're net exporter the world itself uses 36 percent less oil per dollar of real GDP than it did 25 years ago [43:25] but we're talking about three to four percent of the [43:28] Energy that supplies global consumption going offline. We're gonna feel that was there any justification to [43:36] Make up for the fact that America is helping put money in Vladimir Putin's pocket by lifting these Russia sanctions [43:43] Is that gonna make a dent in the oil price? [43:44] I think one way to think about it Margaret [43:46] Is that both the strategic reserve draw and the Russia sanctions relief are tools that are available to the US government right now? [43:53] The price might be higher without them, but we can't quantify it really hard to prove a negative [43:58] but it's [44:00] it's is it just to show they're doing something well there is a certain every person in public [44:04] office tries to show responsiveness and crisis like this the problem is that as as the price [44:08] rises interventions become more significant sometimes the best thing is to do nothing [44:12] to let the market work it out but no one gets elected to office on that basis fair point johnny [44:17] um the u.s intel assessments say iran's government is not at risk of collapsing you've been thinking [44:23] about iran for a while what do you think of this new supreme leader who we haven't seen out in [44:27] public well most of uh khamenei is clearly not a charming public face what he is is a systems [44:34] operator so he was a gatekeeper for the supreme leader's office in the past he has strong ties [44:40] to the irgc and the besiege he knows how power actually operates and he is effectively a symbol [44:46] of continuity right now and i think that's more important than being an actual in an actual [44:52] managerial role he is the message from the regime that they are still in control [44:57] and the stability of that regime the regime and the command and control over the asymmetric [45:04] capabilities that iran has to include for example proxies that may seek to do americans harm [45:10] sleeper cells in the united states and more so as we do think about the new supreme leader [45:14] i'm thinking about from a homeland perspective whether that individual has a command and control [45:19] over the tools that could in fact harm americans margaret and we'll these are open questions we're [45:24] going to try to get answers to thank you to all of you that's it for [45:28] us today thank you for watching until next week for face the nation i'm margaret brennan