Cory Booker

Senator Cory Booker said Sunday that he supports ending the U.S. war with Iran but opposes the Trump administration’s 60-day interim agreement, arguing it gives Tehran significant economic relief without securing lasting concessions.

Appearing on NBC News' Meet the Press, the New Jersey Democrat drew a sharp distinction between ending the conflict itself—which he has repeatedly backed—and how the U.S. is now exiting it, warning the current approach weakens American leverage at a critical moment.

That stance puts Booker at odds with the administration and some Democrats over what a successful end to the war should look like, while aligning him with conservative critics who argue the deal gives Iran too much.

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Clash With Carville Over ‘Credit’

The split surfaced immediately when Booker was asked about comments from veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, who said Thursday night on NewsNation’s Cuomo that President Donald Trump deserves some credit for ending the war—even if the conflict itself was a mistake.

Carville, best known for helping Bill Clinton win the presidency in 1992, has argued the Iran war was a blunder from the outset. He called the interim agreement an “instrument of surrender” but suggested that exiting a failing conflict can still be the right move.

“Let’s give Trump credit where credit’s due,” he said. “He did what Lyndon Johnson did not do in Vietnam. Just get out. He didn’t do what [George W.] Bush and even Obama did in Afghanistan. Just get out. You understand?”

Booker rejected that position outright, suggesting Trump should not be rewarded for reversing a crisis he created.

“That’s like literally an arsonist starting a fire and getting credit for running out of the burning building,” the senator said. “This president has led this nation into a disaster. We have surrendered our power. We have capitulated to the enemy.”

‘Abject Surrender’

Booker repeatedly framed the interim agreement as a one-sided outcome.

“I do not support this deal that he made which was an abject surrender,” he said, arguing that Iran “gets all of the benefits, literally billions and billions of dollars.”

The senator said Iranian leaders “know that they've won this, and they know Donald Trump is perhaps, on the world stage right now, the biggest loser with egg on his face.”

Booker noted he voted multiple times in favor of War Powers resolutions and related votes aimed at forcing a U.S. withdrawal from the conflict. He has also consistently criticized Trump’s strategy on Iran, including the withdrawal from the Obama-era nuclear deal that was made in 2015.

The interim agreement is structured as a memorandum of understanding (MOU), intended to stop hostilities while negotiators pursue a broader settlement over the next 60 days.

Core elements include:

Iran reaffirming it won’t procure or develop nuclear weapons

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz, restoring global oil transit

Rolling back U.S. naval blockade measures

Potential sanctions relief, giving Iran access to significant financial resources

Halt to major military activity across multiple fronts

Critics argue the structure gives Iran early benefits without firm guarantees; supporters say the temporary arrangement is meant to test compliance and avoid escalation.

The Trump administration has defended the framework as a practical step following months of conflict. White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Newsweek: “President Trump and his negotiating team have brokered an excellent, performance-based MOU that advances the interests of the United States by ending the fighting, reopening the Strait of Hormuz to significantly lower energy prices, and forcing Iran to commit to abandon its nuclear ambitions."

She added: "What the President has achieved on the battlefield and at the negotiating table is nothing short of remarkable and will strengthen American security for many years to come.”

Conservative Opposition Builds

Criticism has emerged from conservative figures, including Republican lawmakers skeptical of the deal’s structure.

“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,” Republican Senator Bill Cassidy posted to X. “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. 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."

Former Vice President Mike Pence has criticized the deal as resembling “appeasement,” arguing it lacks firm commitments on Iran’s nuclear program, missile development and support for regional proxies.

Rupert Murdoch-controlled media outlets, including Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, have also published critical coverage of the interim deal.

"When you have Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and progressives, all coming out talking about capitulation, surrender, catastrophe, you know how bad this deal is," Booker said.