Trump’s Iran deal faces ire; JD to aid

GOP REVOLT | Republican senators question sanctions relief, Iran funding, nuclear curbs

If it (Iran deal) works out, I’m going to take the credit. If it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming JD (Vance). 

Donald Trump, POTUS

I think the president was joking.

JD Vance, Vice-President

History teaches that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea. 

Ted Cruz, Senator

Ronald Reagan is rolling over in his grave.

Bill Cassidy, Senator

Washington: US President Donald Trump’s agreement with Iran to end the war has drawn sharp criticism from fellow Republicans, who argue it neither curbs Tehran’s uranium enrichment programme nor prevents it from funding militant proxies.

Much of the criticism centr­es on a proposed $300 billion reconstruction and development fund for Iran. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the MoU to reopen the strait risked und­e­r­mining gains from Operation Epic Fury and made the financial benefits offered under former Presi­dent Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal “look like a pittance”.

Vice President JD Vance defended the agreement, urging Republicans to have “faith” in Trump. “He believes in this deal and will see it to completion. If Iran does not comply, we retain every tool and point of leverage we have today,” Vance told reporters at the White House.

Several Republican senators questioned the deal’s strategic value. Senator Bill Cassidy called the conflict’s outcome the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades”, saying Iran’s nuclear ambitions remained intact while sanctions relief and reconstruction benefits were being offered.

Senator Ted Cruz warned against providing Iran with billions of dollars, while Senator John Cornyn said the deal failed to secure meaningful concessions on Tehran’s nucle­ar programme, weapons arse­n­al or support for regional proxies.

Senator Thom Tillis argued Trump had fallen short of his stated objectives, citing the war’s human and financial costs. However, Senator Lindsey Graham backed efforts to pursue a diplomatic settlement, saying the MoU could create space for a lasting agreement to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

—PTI