Roger Wicker

Republican

Senator
State: MS

Mississippi

via: timesnownews.com

Trump's Own Party Leaders Turn on Him Over Iran Deal: Here's Why

US President Donald Trump.

Photo : AP

Donald Trump spent the weekend suggesting that a peace deal to end the war with Iran was nearly within reach. But instead of rallying his party behind him, the announcement tore open a very public rift among Republicans, with some of his closest allies lining up to voice alarm, anger, and in some cases outright opposition.

The proposed agreement, as reported by Axios, centers on a 60-day ceasefire during which Iran would clear mines it deployed in the Strait of Hormuz and allow ships to pass freely through the vital waterway. In return, the US would lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports and allow Iran to sell oil again during the ceasefire period. Negotiations on Iran's nuclear program would be pushed to a later date.

That last point, for many Republican hawks, is where the deal falls apart.

"A disaster" and "deeply concerned"

Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the Senate armed services committee, did not hold back. He called the rumored 60-day ceasefire a "disaster" and warned that everything achieved through what the administration dubbed Operation Epic Fury would be rendered meaningless if the deal went through as described.

Ted Cruz, the senator from Texas, said he was deeply concerned by what he had heard. He argued that if the end result of the war was an Iranian regime still chanting "death to America," receiving billions of dollars, retaining the ability to enrich uranium, and holding effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then the entire effort would amount to a catastrophic mistake. Cruz called on Trump to hold firm and enforce the red lines he had publicly drawn during negotiations.

When a Trump supporter criticized Cruz online and told him nobody had asked for his opinion, Cruz fired back, saying that "young political grifters pushing Iran appeasement are not remotely helping the President."

Lindsey Graham: critic and cheerleader at the same time

Perhaps no figure better captured the confusion within Republican ranks than Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trump's closest allies in the Senate. On Saturday, Graham issued a stark warning, arguing that if the deal left Iran appearing to have successfully shut down the Strait of Hormuz through what he called terrorism, it would represent a major shift in the regional balance of power and would eventually become a nightmare for Israel. He also raised a pointed question that many were thinking but few had said aloud: if these conditions were accurate, why did the war start in the first place?

Yet by Sunday, Graham had shifted to praising Trump's broader vision for the region, calling a separate proposal to expand the Abraham Accords a "brilliant move" and warning countries like Saudi Arabia that refusing to join would be a major miscalculation.

Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, signalled his alignment with the critics by reposting Graham's earlier warning without comment.

A sharp rebuke from a former ally

Mike Pompeo, who served as both CIA director and secretary of state during Trump's first term, was perhaps the most cutting in his criticism. He compared the terms of the emerging deal to the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated under Barack Obama, the very deal Trump spent years condemning and ultimately walked away from.

Pompeo called the proposal "not remotely America First" and laid out what he believed the US should instead be demanding: open the strait, cut off Iran's access to money, and eliminate enough of its military capability to protect American allies in the region.

Trump pushes back

Faced with the backlash, Trump appeared to soften his tone on Sunday after spending Saturday suggesting the deal was nearly done. He insisted talks were moving in an "orderly and constructive" manner and told his representatives not to rush.

He also pushed back against his critics, saying the deal had not even been fully negotiated yet and urging people not to "listen to the losers" who were criticising something they knew "nothing about".

One voice of optimism

Not everyone Republican was on the defensive. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters during a diplomatic visit to India, described progress as "significant" and suggested the world could be on the verge of good news within hours. Whether that optimism proves well-founded, and whether it will be enough to quiet the growing chorus of concern within Trump's own party, remains to be seen.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.

Roger Wicker

Latest Coverage

Trump's Own Party Leaders Turn on Him Over Iran Deal: Here's Why