The agreement, as read by senior U.S. officials, allows Iran to immediately begin exporting oil and petroleum products.
Five passages of the 14-point memorandum of understanding that was released Wednesday are giving critics particular concern because they leave so much room open for negotiation and interpretation....
A Republican Senator whom President Donald Trump drove from office unloaded on his Iran deal on Tuesday, calling it the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican in the final months of his Senate term after losing his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, posted the broadside on X hours after the Trump administration read aloud the contents of its 14-point memorandum of understanding with Iran to reporters."Reagan is rolling over in his grave," Cassidy wrote. "Iran's nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future."He ticked through the costs: 13 American service members dead, families paying elevated gas prices from the Hormuz closure, sanctions set to be lifted, and bombing halted — with Iran now positioned to rebuild."This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades," Cassidy wrote.The senator also told Nexstar on Capitol Hill: "The details that I've seen so far look … awful."Cassidy voted to convict Trump after his second impeachment. Trump backed a primary challenger against him in retribution — and after losing that primary last month, Cassidy immediately flipped to support a Democratic war powers resolution seeking to force Trump to end the Iran conflict.The broadside lands as the MOU's terms drew fresh scrutiny. Senior administration officials read the agreement aloud to reporters Tuesday, revealing immediate waivers on Iranian oil exports, a $300 billion reconstruction framework, and a 60-day negotiation window to resolve Iran's nuclear program. The deal does not bar Iran from enriching uranium, deferring the question to final talks.Cassidy was not alone. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the emerging deal "not remotely America First."The deal is set to be formally signed on Friday at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland.
Senator Bill Cassidy attacks ‘worst foreign policy blunder in decades’ while others in his party skeptical over peace dealA handful of Senate Republicans have sharply criticized the agreement Donald Trump reached with Iran, accusing the administration of committing “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.On Wednesday, the Trump administration released the text of an interim deal between Washington and Tehran to end the 110-day conflict, framing it as a “major win” for the US – even as the 14-point accord made significant political and financial concessions to Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz and prevent a “worldwide depression”. Continue reading...
The Obama-era Iran deal was packed with technical details and specific requirements limiting, but not shutting down, Iran's nuclear program. President Trump's new agreement is more of a framework, and it's not final yet.
Fox News poll finds 64% of voters doubt a peace deal will keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons, matching skepticism levels from the 2015 deal.
Trump is framing a tentative peace deal with Iran as a victory for the U.S., but fractures in the Republican Party suggest that could be a hard sell.
Critics call Trump's Iran deal one of the most humiliating in U.S. diplomatic history, citing billions in concessions for few Iranian commitments.
GOP skepticism of the preliminary peace deal with Iran mostly only hardened after details of the 14-point plan surfaced, with key Republican lawmakers trashing it publicly.