In the latest edition of CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, host Margaret Brennen spent her interviews with U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte as opportunities to drive a wedge between the U.S. and international organizations, like NATO and the United Nations.  In her first interview of the show, Brennan talked to Waltz about Iran and the U.S.’s wish that other allies step up to help the U.S.’s military endeavor. Ambassador Waltz pointed out the Iranians' indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure in the Middle East, especially the futuristic infrastructure in oil-rich Middle East countries like the U.A.E., Qatar and Saudi Arabia.   CBS's Margaret Brennan, in her normal combative tone, spent a good amount of time on a Face the Nation interview with @USAmbUN Mike Waltz asking questions focused on a fear of potential US war crimes. pic.twitter.com/GL1nca0Ae6 — Nick (@nspin310) March 23, 2026   After Waltz said, “it should petrify every American that you could potentially have a nuclear Middle East awash in weapons,” Brennan started to get into her normal combative mode versus Republicans: BRENNAN: Well, they are not enriching. They weren't enriching leading up to this. This is what U.S. officials have testified to. But just on this point about what the president– WALTZ: Well they couldn't enrich because of Operation Midnight Hammer that obliterated their ability to enrich. They had every intent to continue. BRENNAN: They do have a nuclear power plant, Bushehr. It's actually their largest energy plant. It's a civilian site. It should be noted that the Iranian Deputy FM literally confirmed statements from WItkoff that they had enough nuclear material for “10.2 bombs.” Brennan’s angle to her questioning was clear after she brought up reports of U.S. and Israeli joint attacks on infrastructure in Iran, including power plants: Okay, but - but in this case, in that clarification, the reason I am asking you is when the president says he is going to bomb energy infrastructure, civilian energy infrastructure, is he going to bomb a nuclear power plant, or is that off the table. Now comes the clamoring for worry about international law: How do you ensure that this doesn't constitute a war crime, which the UN Secretary General said an attack on energy infrastructure could be. How do you make sure this is not mass punishment for innocent civilians? Waltz gave a response that referred to the regime’s slaughter of Iranian protestors and how those people cannot get nuclear weapons. Brennan went straight back to war crimes: No one is endorsing that but how do you make sure this doesn't hurt - (...) Okay, well, you know that in many of these places, water desalination is linked into that energy infrastructure, civilian infrastructure. This is why it is a question of it being a war crime. She doesn’t really care about war crimes or anything, its just her normal demeanor against conservatives and the Trump administration. Later on, Brennan clearly attempted to create a divide between NATO’s Rutte and the Trump Administration: “Well, I'm sure the president appreciates your praise, but he has been very frustrated, and made that clear this week with NATO and the European allies. He called NATO quote “a paper tiger without the US.” He said they complain about high oil prices when they forced to pay but they don't want to help open the Strait of Hormuz. Easy for them cowards. We will remember.”   Brennan also set out to attempt to drive a wedge between NATO and the US, while @SecGenNATO was having non of it, as the 'Trump whisperer' praised Trump. pic.twitter.com/bArhNMVpvF — Nick (@nspin310) March 23, 2026   Rutte responded and said there are plans being formulated to help the U.S. and open the Strait of Hormuz Brennan continued to push Rutte on Trump and NATO, and Rutte praised Trump: What I know is that we always come together. It was under President Trump's leadership that we had the extremely successful Summit in the Hague where we agreed to spend 5% of our GDPs on defense, and therefore equalizing for the first time since Eisenhower.  So this is quite some time - some time back in history, equalizing what the Europeans are spending and what Americans are spending, not only because it is fair that we all spend the same, and this was a wish from Trump 45 and now is Trump 47 he got this done, but also because we need it, because of the Russian threat and our other adversaries. It seems Brennan’s attempt to split the NATO General from Trump did not work. The exaggerated wedge between the US and NATO makes little sense with knowledge of Rutte’s tight relationship with Trump that brought NATO’s defense spending higher after “experts” warned of a looming collapse of US relations. Just like a lot of things that were seemingly feared, we’re all still in wait for the split of NATO. The transcript is below. Click "expand": CBS’s Face the Nation March 22, 2026 10:35:30 AM Eastern (...) AMBASSADOR MIKE WALTZ (US Ambassador to UN): And the president has been clear too. He's going to continue to pound Iran's capabilities, its missile, its naval and its drone capability. Margaret, we have to take a step back. We have seen what it's doing now in terms of attacking ports, airports, civilian infrastructure, hotels, resorts, and what it is trying to do to global energy supplies.  One can only imagine if it had a nuclear umbrella. One could only imagine if Iran achieved its aim to test. Then you have Saudi Arabia wanting a nuclear program, then perhaps the UAE, Turkey or others. And when people ask why this matters to our security here at home, it should petrify every American that you could potentially have a nuclear Middle East awash in weapons. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, they are not enriching. They weren't enriching leading up to this. This is what U.S. officials have testified to. But just on this point about what the president– WALTZ: Well they couldn't enrich because of Operation Midnight Hammer that obliterated their ability to enrich. They had every intent to continue. BRENNAN: They do have a nuclear power plant, Bushehr. It's actually their largest energy plant. It's a civilian site. WALTZ: It is actually not their largest energy plant. It is about one, about one gigawatt. They have larger ones that are gas, fired outside of Tehran. But just case in point, yeah. BRENNAN: Okay, but - but in this case, in that clarification, the reason I am asking you is when the president says he is going to bomb energy infrastructure, civilian energy infrastructure, is he going to bomb a nuclear power plant, or is that off the table. WALTZ: Well, I would never take anything off the table for the president, certainly not on national television. However, there are larger plants. There is one outside of Tehran. There are others outside of other cities that are gas fired, thermal powered. I think the important point here is to understand the IRGC, a declared terrorist organization, not only by us -  BRENNAN: Yeah, in Europe too.  WALTZ: - but in a number of European countries, controls a huge swath of Iran's critical infrastructure, their economy and certainly many of their governing institutions. And so to the extent we are degrading their military capability and their defense industrial base, all options should be on the table, and the president has made that very clear. BRENNAN: How do you ensure that this doesn't constitute a war crime, which the UN Secretary General said an attack on energy infrastructure could be. How do you make sure this is not mass punishment for innocent civilians? WALTZ: Well, I think you know, I would encourage and will encourage the Secretary General to point out the twenty to thirty thousand Iranians that the regime massacred at scale, the civilian infrastructure that they are attacking - BRENNAN: - No one is endorsing that but how do you make sure this doesn't hurt- WALTZ: - And when you, but when have a regime that has its grips on so much critical infrastructure, that is using it to further not only the repression of its own people, to attack its neighbors, and in contravention of UN sanctions, to march towards a nuclear weapon, then that makes those legitimate targets. BRENNAN: Okay, well, you know that in many of these places, water desalination is linked into that energy infrastructure, civilian infrastructure. This is why it is a question of it being a war crime. WALTZ: I have no doubt that the president, the Pentagon, their team will ensure that what they target is geared towards the military infrastructure of Iran. But I have to tell you, they deliberately blend, have a long history, everything from hiding weapons under schools and hospitals to using power plants and other critical infrastructure to not only power their military but their civilian, and they deliberately blend in contravention of international law. (...) 10:46:00 AM Eastern BRENNAN: Well, I'm sure the president appreciates your praise, but he has been very frustrated, and made that clear this week with NATO and the European allies. He called NATO quote “a paper tiger without the US.” He said they complain about high oil prices when they forced to pay but they don't want to help open the Strait of Hormuz. Easy for them cowards. We will remember. NATO SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE: I've been in several conversations this week with the president, and the good news is that, look, we had the U.S. for weeks planning for Epic Fury and for reasons of security and safety, they could not share with European allies and allies around the world and partner countries what they were doing, because that would have jeopardized the effect of the first - first attack - BRENNAN: - Or it would have allowed you to plan RUTTE: So it is only logical that European countries needed a couple of weeks to come together. But at this moment, the good news is this, that since Thursday, 22 countries, most of them NATO, but also Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Bahrain, the UAE, have come together to basically answer three questions, what do we need? When do we need it? And where do we need it? These three questions are now worked through to answer the president's call, to make sure that we secure the free sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. (...) 10:49:09 AM Eastern BRENNAN: The president continues to frame this as sort of like a quid pro quo, and he's also mentioned Ukraine in the same context, saying, I help Europe with Ukraine. Why aren't they helping me? Are you worried that this is going to hurt NATO's goals elsewhere? RUTTE: What I know is that we always come together. It was under President Trump's leadership that we had the extremely successful Summit in the Hague where we agreed to spend 5% of our GDPs on defense, and therefore equalizing for the first time since Eisenhower.  So this is quite some time - some time back in history, equalizing what the Europeans are spending and what Americans are spending, not only because it is fair that we all spend the same, and this was a wish from Trump 45 and now is Trump 47 he got this done, but also because we need it, because of the Russian threat and our other adversaries.  Then on Ukraine, it is again the U.S. providing critical intelligence support and weapons flow, working together with Europeans to secure Ukraine's fight against the Russians, making sure they have what they need. And now with Iran, I'm absolutely convinced, and I understand the president's frustration that it takes some time, but again, I also ask for some understanding, because nations had to prepare for this, not knowing and for good reasons about the initial attack on Iran, but now coming together to make sure that we can be able to secure the Strait of Hormuz.