Republican lawmakers and former Trump administration officials sharply criticized reports of an emerging 60-day ceasefire agreement with Iran, warning that the proposed deal could hand Tehran a strategic victory and undermine the results of the US campaign against the Islamic Republic.
US President Donald Trump said Saturday that a peace agreement involving the US, Iran, and several Middle Eastern countries had been “largely negotiated,” adding that the deal would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also said he had spoken separately with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing the call as having gone “very well.”
The reported framework, which has not yet been finalized, would extend the current ceasefire for 60 days while further negotiations take place on issues including Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz.
Several senior Republicans responded with alarm, arguing that any deal that leaves Iran with influence over the strait, access to funds, or nuclear capabilities would represent a failure.
“I am deeply concerned about what we are hearing about an Iran ‘deal,’ being pushed by some voices in the administration,” Sen. Ted Cruz wrote on X/Twitter.
Cruz said Trump’s decision to strike Iran was “the most consequential decision of his second term,” but warned that ending the conflict on the reported terms would be a mistake.
“If the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime — still run by Islamists who chant ‘death to America’ — now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake,” Cruz added.
Sen. Lindsey Graham warns deal could shift regional balance
Sen. Lindsey Graham also raised concerns, warning that the reported terms could alter the balance of power in the region and pose long-term risks to Israel.
“If a deal is struck to end the Iranian conflict because it is believed that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be protected from Iranian terrorism and Iran still possesses the capability to destroy major Gulf oil infrastructure, then Iran will be perceived as being a dominant force requiring a diplomatic solution,” Graham wrote.
“This combination of Iran being perceived as having the ability to terrorize the Strait in perpetuity and the ability [to] inflict massive damage to Gulf oil infrastructure is a major shift of the balance of power in the region and over time will be a nightmare for Israel,” he continued.
Graham added that such an outcome would raise questions about the purpose of the war itself.
“Also, it makes one wonder why the war started to begin with if these perceptions are accurate,” Graham wrote. “I personally am a skeptic of the idea that Iran cannot be denied the ability to terrorize the Strait and the region cannot protect itself against Iranian military capability.”
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo compares ceasefire deal to Obama-era Iran pact
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized the reported deal by comparing it to the Obama-era Iran nuclear agreement.
“The deal being floated with Iran seems straight out of the Wendy Sherman-Robert Malley-Ben Rhodes playbook: Pay the IRGC to build a WMD program and terrorize the world,” Pompeo wrote.
Pompeo said the alternative was “straightforward: Open the damned strait. Deny Iran access to money. Take out enough Iranian capability so it cannot threaten our allies in the region.”
Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also condemned the proposed agreement.
“The rumored 60-day ceasefire - with the belief that Iran will ever engage in good faith - would be a disaster,” Wicker wrote on X. “Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!”
The criticism underscored growing concern among Republicans that the ceasefire could leave Iran in a stronger position after months of conflict, even as the Trump administration presents the emerging framework as a potential diplomatic breakthrough.
Iranian state media has disputed parts of Trump’s account, including the claim that the agreement would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying the waterway would remain under Iranian control. Final details of the agreement have not yet been announced.
Rubio hits out at Republican leaders' comments on Iran deal
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump's commitment to ending the war “shouldn’t be questioned by anybody.”
“The idea that somehow this president, given everything he’s already proven he’s willing to do, is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd,” Rubio said at a press conference in India.
He added that Trump "preferred to find a diplomatic way" to solve the Iran issue, but that the problem would be solved one way or another.
He then responded to reports on the ceasefire and highlighted the progress made.
“I’m always cautious when I say that because you can agree to things on paper, they actually have to be implemented," he said.
“I do think perhaps there is the possibility that over the next few hours the world will get some good news, at least with regards to the straits and with regards to a process that can ultimately leave us where the president wants us to be, and that is a world that no longer has to be in fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon."