June 14, 2026 / 12:13 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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The following is the transcript of the interview with Sen. Mark Warner, Demcorat of Virginia, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on June 14, 2026.MARGARET BRENNAN: We're joined now by the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, Virginia Senator Mark Warner. It's good to have you here. SENATOR MARK WARNER: Thank you, Margaret.MARGARET BRENNAN: As you heard from the Secretary, a lot of these very important details have to still be negotiated. What do you think, though, of the emerging ceasefire and agreement, because you favored diplomacy?SEN. WARNER: Listen, if the President can declare victory, so be it. You heard Pete Hegseth's pitch. Let's look at the real facts. 107 days into Donald Trump's war of choice, can anyone make the case that we, or our allies, are in a better spot than before this war? The regime's leadership is more radical than ever. The ability for us to get the enriched uranium out, I believe, will require troops on the ground, which I don't think America wants to do. The idea that we have a 60 day additional negotiation, where does that lead? We'll be here 60 days, still won't have access to it. Clearly, after Hegseth had said, "We've destroyed all their capabilities," they still have plenty of missiles and thousands of drones, and the idea that the strait is suddenly going to be magically reopened. Look at the gas prices, they went from $2.80 to $4.20 and I believe they'll go up more because the overall world reserves have all come down. How is that better for America or better for our allies?MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, it's- there are a lot of details in here that, like I said, still have to be negotiated, and when we look at Congress's role in terms of peeling back some of these sanctions, this was hugely controversial during the Obama administration. Do you think ultimately that whatever is hammered out by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and JD Vance, the Vice President, will come up for approval? Do you get any say? SEN. WARNER: Well, first of all, the idea that these three gentlemen that have very little background in terms of negotiations or the technical nature of nuclear negotiations going against a hardened Iranian team that's been doing this for decades. I wish we had some of our experts at the table as well, but I'm not sure any of this will be coming before Congress, and it should. I mean, if the President wanted to start this war, a war of choice, there was no imminent threat from Iran. Come to the Congress, come to the people, and lay out the case. He has not, and we have not done the kind of oversight that is required.
