WASHINGTON — GOP skepticism of the preliminary peace deal with Iran mostly only hardened after details of the 14-point plan surfaced, with key Republican lawmakers trashing it publicly.
A senior official had read the 14-point US-Iran memorandum of understanding to reporters Wednesday, confirming key concessions to Iran such as the temporary waiving of oil sanctions, a $300 billion reconstruction fund, and softer language on the Strait of Hormuz.
“Reagan is rolling over in his grave. 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,” retiring Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) bluntly chided.
Cassidy was bested in his primary last month by a rival backed by President Trump.
Since then, many observers have described him as being part of the Senate GOP’s “YOLO Caucus” of outgoing Republicans who now feel freer to speak more bluntly about Trump.
“Now, Iran gets to build brand-new infrastructure under this deal. Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions, and 13 service members were still alive,” Cassidy went on.
“Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have paid billions at the pump, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped. This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.”
Even before the full text of the 14-point MOU — a document intended to serve as a bridge to more technical negotiations for a full-fledged nuclear deal — became public, it received a cool reception from many Republicans.
Former 2024 GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, who had backed Trump’s Epic Fury attacks on Iran, raised similar concerns as Cassidy about Iran benefiting from the economic relief in the deal.
“This regime chants death to America, murders our troops, and attempts to assassinate Americans on U.S. soil,” she posted 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.”
“They will use that money the way they always do— to further their nuclear ambitions and on terrorist proxies against us. It’s a huge mistake to pay to rebuild the threat we just destroyed.”
Fellow alum of the first Trump administration, former Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News’ “America Reports” that the MOU “does smack of the kind of appeasement that our administration rejected in the Obama-Iran nuclear deal.”
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) both refrained from weighing in when asked by The Post, citing concerns that they hadn’t seen the actual text yet.
“I think if it is, if it is not approved by Congress, then it’s basically nothing more than a political arrangement, similar to what President Obama did, and it can be undone very quickly,” Rounds told The Post. “I’ll wait and see.”
One past GOP skeptic who appeared to warm up to the MOU was Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who cited a call with special envoy Steve Witkoff for his shift in tone.
“After this discussion, it is my opinion that signing the MOU will be beneficial to the United States, in as much as the Strait of Hormuz will begin to open, and the hostilities with Iran will stop,” Graham posted on X.
“Whether or not the United States can reach an acceptable, verifiable deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program and other issues is yet to be determined, but I see little downside to trying,” he added.
“The economic stability that comes from opening up the Strait and the cessation of hostilities could create a pathway to peace well beyond the Iranian conflict.”
Graham previously expressed concerns about Iran’s understanding of the MOU being different than the Trump administration’s and suggested that Congress should approve it.
Beyond Capitol Hill and GOP luminaries, Trump faced a revolt from elements of the conservative pundit world, who argued that his team got rolled by Iran.
Vice President JD Vance, a key architect of the MOU, has repeatedly stressed that the benefits Iran will receive will be contingent on whether or not the regime holds up its end of the bargain.
“If it works out, I’m going to take the credit. If it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming JD,” Trump quipped about the MOU during a press conference at the G7 meeting in France.
