Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are split on President Donald Trump’s Iran peace deal, with some concerned the deal entails little enforcement, with some praising it as progress toward preventing a nuclear-armed Iran while others warned it could provide Tehran with billions of dollars and insufficient safeguards.
Sen. Thomas Tuberville, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital he believes the deal shows progress from the beginning of the war, particularly in disbarring Iran’s nuclear program.
“They never can have nuclear weapons and we don’t have troops on the ground and we made a lot of progress,” Tuberville said.
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But many are skeptical on whether the deal is harsh enough in substantially ensuring Iran’s nuclear program will be destroyed throughout the 60-day negotiation period. It postpones nuclear conversations and lacks the authority to completely prohibit Iran from refusing compliance with the framework of the deal.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., shared that exact concern with Fox News Digital, as well as the potential for the $300 billion toward economic reconstruction included in the deal to be used to fund terrorist groups.
“I am deeply concerned that we are giving Iran the benefit of hundreds of billions of dollars that can be spent on Hezbollah and other maligned proxies, as well as rebuilding its nuclear program,” Blumenthal said. “And the lack of any inspection or verification.”
He continued, “I am deeply concerned that this deal looks like unconditional surrender for the United States, not for Iran.”
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The deal that was signed on Thursday would also provide immediate sanctions relief and access to frozen Iranian funds.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he believes the framework of the deal could position the U.S. to be successful — on the condition that negotiations with Iran are properly enforced.
“From the beginning I said the key is going to be enforcement,” Hoeven said. “So as we go through this negotiation, the key is going to be how do we enforce it?”
He called on American allies to take responsibility in helping with enforcement throughout the 60-day period.
“I think some of our allies need to step up and join us,” Hoeven said.
“They have a big dog in this fight so they need to join with us because that enforcement mechanism is going be key, I believe, to getting the kind of outcome that we want,” he said.
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Many senators claimed they had not read through the memorandum of understanding (MOU), declining to comment at all about their opinion on the deal.
“I’m going to disappoint you,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said. “I’m about a half way through reading the actual MOU and I want to read it several times to try to digest it.”
Many Democrats are arguing that the current deal seems worse and less effective than the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump withdrew this 2015 nuclear deal during his first term.
“I think it looks worse than the Obama deal right now,” Blumenthal said. “More money goes to Iran, lifting of sanctions, no verification.”