President Trump’s initial efforts to sell his deal with Iran to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz did not win over many Republicans on Wednesday.
Trump administration officials yesterday read out the text of the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) on a call with reporters. It was signed electronically earlier this week and then again by Trump last night during dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at Versailles.
The preliminary agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and keep the critical waterway toll-free throughout the 60-day negotiation period. But several points in the MOU have faced backlash from the GOP, including a provision that allows Iran to immediately begin selling oil free of U.S. sanctions and another that would create a $300 billion fund for Iran’s reconstruction as part of a final nuclear deal.
And while the deal reaffirms Iran’s longstanding commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon, it lacks any specific commitments to stop nuclear enrichment or hand over weapons-grade uranium stockpiles.
A handful of Republican senators defended the deal as details emerged on Wednesday, but the overwhelming sentiment among conservatives in Congress and in the media was that Iran was the big winner.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) — who recently lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger — said former President Ronald Reagan “is rolling over in his grave” at the MOU and expressed concern that Iran would threaten access to the Strait of Hormuz in the future.
“Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions, and 13 service members were still alive. Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have paid billions at the pump, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped,” Cassidy said in a post on the social platform X.
“This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” he continued.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), meanwhile, raised concerns about the deal granting major concessions to Iran, telling The Hill's Alexander Bolton that he thinks “the president is receiving some very poor advice on this deal.”
“History teaches that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea,” Cruz said.
Commentator Ben Shapiro said the deal “appears to be a disaster” that doesn’t achieve any of the administration’s goals. He pointed the finger at Vice President Vance.
“In my opinion, the vice president of the United States, the chief negotiator on this particular project, has not well served the president,” he said.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sought to give Trump the benefit of the doubt in an interview on Fox News Wednesday night, telling host Brian Kilmeade, “let's see what happens here. I mean, as the president just said, there's nothing final.”
“I think the fact that the president's getting the Strait reopened, that he's got their nuclear program buried, those are big achievements,” he said.
“But, senator,” Kilmeade responded, “they are allowed to sell oil, and they have more oil than just about everyone, including Iraq, and that will be the first time in decades they're able to sell oil on the open market.”
Trump defended aspects of the deal on Wednesday, including letting Iran maintain its large arsenal of ballistic missiles, telling reporters during a Group of Seven (G7) press conference, “I mean, they have to have some, because other people have some. You got to have some.”
The president also stressed the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying oil reserves would run out in “about four weeks” otherwise, causing economic “bedlam.”
“What this does is it allows the ships to go,” Trump said of the deal. “If we keep bombing, those ships won’t be going.”
But he said the deal is “not final” and left the door open to resuming strikes on Iran.
“It’s a memorandum of understanding, and if I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs on their head,” Trump said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), notoriously a fierce Iran hawk and loyal Trump ally, was among the first this week to raise concerns about the MOU.
But after a “very lengthy and productive discussion” with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Graham signaled a posture shift, saying that he sees “little downside to trying” to reach a deal with Iran.
“After this discussion, it is my opinion that signing the MOU will be beneficial to the United States, in as much as the Strait of Hormuz will begin to open, and the hostilities with Iran will stop,” Graham wrote on X.
The White House took notice.
“Thank you, Lindsey,” Vance wrote on X. “The President’s coalition is uniting behind his leadership and vision for a safer, more peaceful and prosperous world.”
▪ The Hill: Trump defends Iran deal amid criticism.
▪ The Hill: The Memo: Hawks lament ‘disaster’ on Iran.
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