WASHINGTON — President Trump vowed Sunday Iran will never have a nuclear weapon — after top GOP Senators openly voiced skepticism over the reported details of the delicate peace deal.
Trump, who previously said on Saturday that his negotiators were “finalizing” the agreement, suggested in a post on Truth Social Sunday morning that he would wait until the right agreement could be struck.
“I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side. The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed,” he said.
“Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!”
Prominent Republican foreign policy luminaries panned the purported deal for not adequately addressing concerns about Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and placing too much trust in the Islamic Republic.
“The rumored 60-day ceasefire — with the belief that Iran will ever engage in good faith — would be a disaster. Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, bemoaned.
Details of the fledgling deal haven’t yet been made public.
At the moment, the deal would entail a memorandum of understanding between the sides of the conflict that would last 60 days, Axios reported.
During that time, Iran would clean up the mines in the Strait of Hormuz to unlock that critical oil chokepoint, while the US would wind down its blockade of Iranian ports and ease sanctions on Iranian oil, per the report.
That move is intended to rapidly alleviate the strain on global oil supplies.
But critics argue that it will give Iran time, money, and resources at a time when it’s under enormous economic pressure — without securing any tangible victories on the enriched uranium beforehand.
As part of the deal, Iran would commit to not pursuing the development of a nuclear weapon and negotiate the transfer of its highly enriched uranium, much of which is believed to be buried deep underground, according to Axios.
On the other side of the world, some Iranian officials have disputed reports that it has agreed to surrender the enriched uranium — at least in the memorandum of understanding.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has insisted that the theocratic regime isn’t after a nuke.
“We are ready to assure the world that we are not seeking nuclear weapons. We are not seeking instability in the region,” Pezeshkian told reporters.
Trump has been adamant that Iran must cede its highly enriched uranium stockpiles and declined to rule out military force to achieve that objective.
His close ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of the most vocal supporters of the war, warned of consequences if Iran gets a deal due to fears of its ability to blackmail the world via the Strait of Hormuz.
“If a deal is struck to end the Iranian conflict because it is believed that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be protected from Iranian terrorism and Iran still possesses the capability to destroy major Gulf oil infrastructure, then Iran will be perceived as being a [dominant] force requiring a diplomatic solution,” Graham lamented on X.
“Also, it makes one wonder why the war started to begin with if these perceptions are accurate,” Graham added. “I personally am a skeptic of the idea that Iran cannot be denied the ability to terrorize the Strait and the region cannot protect itself against Iranian military capability.”
“It is important we get this right.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) similarly ripped reported details of the deal
“If the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime—still run by Islamists who chant ‘death to America’—now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake,” Cruz posted on X.
Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also slammed the deal, chiding that it’s “not remotely America First.”
That led to a fierce rebuke from White House Communications Director Steve Cheung.
“Mike Pompeo has no idea what the f— he’s talking about,” Cheung sniped. “He should shut his stupid mouth and leave the real work to the professionals. He’s not read into anything that’s happening, so how would he know.”
“It doesn’t make sense to me. I’m not too far away from where Pompeo is,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “We were told about 11 weeks ago, by [Secretary of War Pete] Hegset of the Department of Defense, that they had obliterated Iran’s defenses.”
“Now we’re talking about a posture where we may accept the nuclear material remaining in Iran,” he added. “There are a lot of things that need to be explained.”
Trump said Sunday, “One of the worst deals ever made by our Country was the Iran Nuclear Deal, put forth and signed into existence by Barack Hussein Obama and the rank amateurs of the Obama Administration. It was a direct path to Iran developing a Nuclear Weapon. Not so with the transaction currently being negotiated with Iran by the Trump Administration – THE EXACT OPPOSITE, in fact!”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also defended the deal, predicting that “good news” is coming regarding the Strait of Hormuz and argued that critics shouldn’t underestimate Trump.
“There is no one who has been stronger on this issue than President Trump,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to India.
“The idea that somehow this president … 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.”
