WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s emerging deal to conclude the Iran war is meeting significant opposition from some Republicans who advocate for a tougher stance against Tehran and fear missing a chance to control a long-standing Middle Eastern adversary.
This deal, which Trump described as “largely negotiated,” has prompted a variety of lawmakers, former Cabinet members, and conservative analysts to question if the terms as known will make the conflict seem “for naught.”
Senator Ted Cruz from Texas stated that the decision to engage with Iran is the “most consequential” of Trump’s second term, urging the president not to relent.
Cruz expressed on the social media platform X that if the result is an Iranian regime — still led by Islamists chanting ‘death to America’ — receiving billions of dollars, enriching uranium, developing nuclear weapons, and controlling the Strait of Hormuz, it would be a disastrous mistake. This was in response to Trump’s update after discussions with Israeli leaders and other U.S. allies.
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who maintains a close relationship with Trump, criticized any agreement that would allow Iran to be seen as a regional power capable of destroying oil infrastructure in the Gulf.
Senator Roger Wicker, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned the value of a proposed 60-day ceasefire, labeling it a “disaster.”
“Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!” remarked Wicker from Mississippi.
Trump Says It Will Take Time To ‘Get It Right’
Trump, asserting he only makes beneficial deals and dislikes appearing at a disadvantage in negotiations, dismissed criticisms of a deal he claimed was not “even fully negotiated yet.”
He advised people not to listen to those criticizing something they know nothing about on his social media platform.
Trump declared that the deal being formulated is “THE EXACT OPPOSITE” of the nuclear agreement Iran reached under the Obama administration. Trump withdrew from that pact and is now seeking to establish a new one.
“Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!” Trump insisted.
He noted that a U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports would stay in effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.
Trump received some backing from Capitol Hill as well.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, often a critic, supported the White House’s strategy.
“War virtually always ends with negotiations,” Paul wrote on X. “Critics of President Trump’s peace negotiations should give President Trump the space to find an American First solution.”
According to the proposal, the war would end, Iran would reopen the strait, and it would relinquish its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, with details and timelines worked out during a subsequent 60-day period, regional officials informed The Associated Press on Sunday.
Critics Air Objections As Details Trickle Out
Polls indicate the war, initiated when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, is unpopular with the American public and has cost U.S. taxpayers at least $29 billion to date. Thirteen service members have lost their lives during the operation.
Trump initially predicted the war would conclude in four to six weeks, but the deadlock persists. Iran’s closure of the strait, responsible for about 20% of global energy supply transit, has jolted the world economy, driving up prices for gasoline and other goods.
Mike Pompeo, a former secretary of state under Trump, remarked on Saturday that the emerging deal appears similar to the Obama-era agreement Trump left.
“Not remotely America First,” Pompeo commented on X, eliciting a profanity-laced response from Steven Cheung, the White House communications director.
John Bolton, a national security adviser during Trump’s first term and now a critic, argued that the emerging plan seems to benefit the Iranian government.
“If news reports about the impending Iran deal are correct, the ayatollahs will have won a significant victory,” Bolton wrote on X. “They will be back on the road to nuclear weapons, supporting global terrorism, and repressing their own people.”
Rubio Says A Nuclear Iran Is ‘Not Going To Happen’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a diplomatic mission in India, told reporters that no president has been tougher on Iran than Trump.
“His commitment to that principle that they’ll never have a nuclear weapon shouldn’t be questioned by anybody,” Rubio remarked. “And the idea that somehow this president, given everything he’s already proven he’s willing to do, is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd. That’s just not going to happen.”
Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a frequent Trump critic who pushed legislation to curb the president’s war powers against Iran, commented on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that while the terms are not fully known, “if Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz are crashing out last night, I’d say it’s probably a pretty good deal.”
Massie will leave Congress in January after facing Trump’s disapproval and losing his GOP primary to a Trump-endorsed challenger.
