A deal President Donald Trump struck with Iran has exposed an uncommon rift inside his own party, as Republican hawks warn the agreement bears little resemblance to the decisive outcome he once promised and could leave Tehran wealthier, more resilient and still dangerous across the region.
Signed by Mr Trump in France, the memorandum of understanding is designed to halt months of fighting, reopen the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz and calm energy markets after a conflict that pushed oil prices higher and stirred fears of a broader Middle East emergency.
Yet the framework has unsettled some of the very Republicans who for years attacked Democratic former president Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran as far too weak.
Those critics say Mr Trump is offering Iran sanctions relief, renewed access to oil markets and the possibility of a $300 billion reconstruction fund without extracting firm commitments on uranium enrichment, ballistic missiles or Tehran’s backing of armed proxies.
“Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions, and 13 service members were still alive,” he said. “Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have paid billions at the pump, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped.”
Mr Trump has cast the agreement as a pragmatic step to reopen one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, a passageway that normally carries about a fifth of global crude supply. He said the arrangement was not yet final and cautioned that the United States could restart strikes if the talks collapse.
“It’s a memorandum of understanding, and if I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs on their head,” Mr Trump told reporters at a Group of Seven summit in Evian, in eastern France.
‘Threat to America’
At the same time, the president appeared to soften his earlier demands after calling during the war for Iran’s “total surrender” and the dismantling of its nuclear program.
Under the memorandum, Iran is expected to keep the Strait of Hormuz open during a 60-day negotiating period, while receiving sanctions waivers that allow it to continue selling oil as discussions proceed.
The agreement repeats Iran’s pledge not to pursue a nuclear weapon, but it stops short of requiring an immediate end to enrichment or the handover of its highly enriched uranium stockpiles.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz urged Mr Trump not to “suddenly come in with massive buckets of cash to let them rebuild and become a threat to America again”.
“I don’t want to see theocratic Islamists who want to kill us made stronger. So, if this deal is giving them $300 billion, that’s a mistake,” he said.
US President Donald Trump has defended the deal as a practical move to reopen one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints
Texas Senator John Cornyn said he feared the accord could amount to little more than “an intermission,” giving Iran time to rebuild its arsenal while continuing to enrich uranium.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune struck a more measured tone, but said lawmakers still needed answers on whether the deal meaningfully addressed Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missiles and support for militant groups.
Other Trump allies argued for giving the effort time.
Senator Lindsey Graham said the agreement reopened the Strait of Hormuz, paused hostilities and created an opportunity to see whether diplomacy could restrain Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“I doubt if they can – on the nuclear program, but why not try?” Mr Graham said, according to The Hill.
Democrats, united against the agreement, say Mr Trump waged an expensive war only to settle for a deal that largely restores the pre-war status quo while giving Tehran fresh leverage.
Mr Trump, for his part, has attacked his critics, calling opponents of the deal “fools” and insisting it offers Washington a way to end the war without drawing the United States deeper into the conflict.
