US political figures from both parties have voiced fresh objections to Donald Trump's provisional deal with Iran, as negotiations in Switzerland ran into difficulties. The criticism comes after Trump threatened to renew attacks on Iran if it did not rein in its proxies in Lebanon.
Negotiations in Lucerne between the US and Iran hit a snag after Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran must stop its 'highly paid proxies' in Lebanon causing trouble, warning that the US would hit Iran 'very hard again' if they did not. Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that its delegation walked out of the building where the talks were being held, citing Trump's threatening message.
Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn, who recently lost his re-election primary, posted on X about how rogue regimes evade US economic warfare, highlighting that Iran's ability to withstand sanctions exposed a hard fact for Washington. He had earlier expressed disappointment that the US had not 'finished the job' of eliminating Iran's nuclear capability before striking a deal that involved releasing restricted Iranian funds.
Democratic figures also criticised the memorandum of understanding (MOU). Susan Rice, a former national security adviser under Barack Obama, called the agreement 'flimsy' and 'egregious', arguing that too many concessions were granted upfront. She pointed to provisions allowing Iran to sell all its oil and oil products unimpeded before any nuclear agreement was reached, contrasting it with the previous Obama-era deal that kept sanctions until full compliance.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker rejected offering Trump credit for ending the war, comparing it to 'an arsonist starting a fire and getting credit for running out of the burning building'. The New York Post, typically supportive of Trump, published an editorial headlined 'With Strait of Hormuz held hostage, Trump's Iran deal is worse than Obama's'.
