Key facts
- President Donald Trump has reached an agreement to end fighting in Iran, with a 60-day negotiating clock for a final deal on Iran's nuclear program.
- The agreement includes the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran's oil sales and a proposed $300 billion fund for Iran's reconstruction.
- Key Republican figures, including Sen. Roger Wicker and Sen. Ted Cruz, have criticized the deal, citing financial concessions and concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
- Top Senate Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen described the deal as a 'catastrophically bad outcome'.
- President Trump defended the deal, calling critics 'fools' and dismissing concerns about the reconstruction fund, stating the U.S. would not contribute.
President Donald Trump's administration has reached an interim agreement to end fighting in Iran, initiating a 60-day period for negotiations on the nation's nuclear program. The deal, however, has faced significant backlash from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, as well as conservative influencers.
Key Republican figures, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker and Sen. Ted Cruz, have voiced strong opposition. Wicker criticized the agreement as a foreign policy blunder and a win for Iran, particularly highlighting concerns over a proposed $300 billion fund for Iran's reconstruction and economic development, which he stated would dwarf the concessions made under the Obama administration's 2015 deal. Cruz echoed these sentiments, calling the financial concessions to Iran an 'exceptionally bad idea'.
Top Senate Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen also condemned the deal, labeling it a 'catastrophically bad outcome'. Some senators, like Majority Leader John Thune and Sen. Mike Rounds, expressed a need for clarity on the financial provisions and the enforcement mechanisms for terrorism funding bars.
President Trump, however, defended the agreement, dismissing his critics as 'fools' and calling reports of a $300 billion U.S. payment 'fake news,' emphasizing that the U.S. would not contribute to the fund. He asserted that the deal would lead to 'Success, Lower Oil Prices, and Victory.' Sen. Roger Marshall pointed to a provision aimed at strengthening regional security and preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, while John Fleming suggested Trump's approach involved a 'speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick' strategy.
Conservative voices outside of Congress also weighed in. Radio host Mark Levin suggested delaying the agreement until after the midterm elections, while influencer Laura Loomer questioned the intelligence guiding the President's decisions. Former Vice President Mike Pence stated the deal 'smacks of appeasement,' reflecting a broader distrust of the Iranian regime among critics, regardless of their political alignment with Trump.