Republicans in Congress are demanding the full details of President Donald Trump’s Iran deal, according to The Hill, with one lawmaker expressing concern about the “awful” details that Iran itself is claiming.
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Over the weekend, the U.S. and Iran signed a new deal to pause hostilities for another 60 days while a final deal to end the conflict and regulate the Middle Eastern nation’s nuclear program is negotiated. The full text of the agreement has not yet been publicized, but it is understood that it involves reopening the Strait of Hormuz for shipments. It has also sparked criticism from many observers, including many conservatives, over reports that it will create a path for Iran to regain around $24 billion in frozen assets.
On Tuesday morning, The Hill reported that “Republican senators are holding back from embracing” Trump’s new deal, demanding the full details and its implications for Iran’s nuclear program before offering their support. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the biggest cheerleaders for Trump’s war, expressed specific concerns about the details that Iran has claimed are part of the agreement.
“The MOU [memorandum of understanding, I want to see it myself,” Graham told reporters. “The way Iran describes it is awful. The way we describe it makes sense to me. Let’s look at it and see what it actually is.”
He also added: “Their nuclear ambitions still exist. How do you rein it in?”
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican who has been critical of the proposed deal since supposed details began emerging last month, has been less forthcoming about his stance, saying only: “I’m withholding comment.”
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On May 23, Wicker took to X with a post criticizing the deal, writing, “The rumored 60-day ceasefire — with the belief that Iran will ever engage in good faith — would be a disaster.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that he did not “know enough about it to say” whether or not he liked it.
“My understanding of what it entails — again, not having seen anything — I think the issues are going to be compliance and, ‘How you’re going to enforce that and what are the financial incentives the Iranians are going to have from our country?” Thune said.
“This is like a template for further negotiations. I don’t even know constitutionally if we have a role in that,” Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri added in his own statement, while otherwise being positive about the development. “The Strait is going to reopen. Great. That will be lower gas prices, that will be lower fertilizer prices in Missouri.”
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