US President Donald Trump’s interim deal with Iran has drawn a backlash from fellow Republicans, who argue the agreement wastes billions of dollars of taxpayer money and does little to restrict Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Under a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on Wednesday, the US and Iran committed to an “immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts,” including in Lebanon.
Tehran agreed to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since late February, while Washington pledged to “develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan” to provide $300bn in funds for the reconstruction and development of Iran.
The agreement also includes a pledge by Iran not to “procure or develop nuclear weapons”.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a rare critic of Trump within his party who recently lost a primary bid for a third term in office, blasted the MoU as “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.
“Reagan is rolling over in his grave,” Cassidy said on X, referring to former US President Ronald Reagan, who is widely considered an iconic figure within the conservative movement.
“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 said.
“Now, Iran gets to build brand-new infrastructure under this deal.”
Thomas Massie, a Republican Senator from Kentucky who recently lost a primary challenge by a Trump-backed candidate, Ed Gallrein, criticised the inclusion of the $300bn assistance plan, claiming the figure is five times as much as the US Congress spends on roads and bridges annually.
Nikki Haley, the former US ambassador to the UN during Trump’s first administration, also questioned Washington’s commitment to help Iran rebuild from the destruction of the nearly four-month-long war.
“This regime chants death to America, murders our troops, and attempts to assassinate Americans on US soil,” Haley said on X.
“They believe they have an obligation to destroy us. Now, we plan to unlock billions of dollars and lift sanctions, with the promise of even more money.”
Trump’s plan has drawn unfavourable comparisons to former US President Barack Obama’s more detailed 2015 agreement with Iran, under which Tehran agreed to limits on its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018, saying it had “enriched the Iranian regime and enabled its malign behaviour”.
Mike Pence, who served as Trump’s first vice president, said on Wednesday that the US-Iran MoU “does smack of the kind of appeasement that our administration rejected in the Obama-Iran nuclear deal”.
Pence said the US should pursue an agreement that “commits Iran to dismantling their nuclear programme, dismantling this missile programme, ends support for terrorist proxies and opens the strait”.
“Failing that, we should let our Armed Forces finish the job on our terms,” Pence said on X.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas defended the MoU from comparisons with the Obama deal, but expressed concern about providing funds to Iran.
“I do want to urge the president not to give up the victory; we have destroyed their military, and we should not fund the rebuild,” Cruz said on X.