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WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers responded with praise, cautious optimism and condemnation following President Donald Trump’s announcement Sunday of a highly anticipated deal between the U.S. and Iran to end their war.
The tentative agreement calls for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to the U.S. naval blockade, 106 days after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, which led to the waterway that carries nearly 20% of the world’s oil during peacetime being paralyzed.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said on X on Sunday that he was “pleased” about the deal but also “somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming.”
The memorandum of understanding signed by President Donald Trump and a top Iranian official also calls for an initial 60-day ceasefire and continued negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
Graham said any nuclear deal with Iran needs to be sent to Congress for review and a vote and encouraged Vice President JD Vance to be part of the process in presenting the final deal to lawmakers.
“An end to this disastrous war is a good thing — no matter the humiliating terms," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., wrote in a multipart post on X on Sunday. "Because every day it continues, our nation gets weaker, costs keep going up, Iran gets stronger, and Trump gets further from accomplishing his goals.
“But make no mistake: these are Iran’s terms," he wrote. "They made one single concession — opening the Strait. And it’s not even a concession because the Strait was open before the war!”
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., wrote on X that the deal is “a step in the right direction to end the reckless war he (Trump) started” but said critical questions have yet to be answered.
“Is the Strait of Hormuz actually open to all commercial traffic?" Coons wrote. "Will Iran retain any control over it and what mechanism will govern travel through it? What sanctions relief, release of frozen assets, or other economic windfall does the Trump administration plan to offer Iran and when?”
During a press briefing about the deal Monday, senior U.S. officials speaking on background said normal travel through the strait is expected to resume in about two weeks. They said further details about the agreement will be available within 48 hours, with more technical details to be released later in the week.
Several Republican lawmakers reacted to the deal’s framework with unadulterated praise.
“Once again, @POTUS proves he is the Dealmaker in Chief,” Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., wrote on X. “When America leads with strength, we get results. A major victory for American security and global stability!”
“Thank god we have a dealmaker in the White House who ALWAYS puts America’s best interests first," Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., wrote on X on Sunday. "Now, let’s get oil flowing and bring our troops home."
“Peace requires strength,” Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-Ind., wrote on X. “Protecting Americans means making hard decisions, and striking Iran was one of them. President Trump had the courage to act where presidents of both parties only made promises.”
Democratic lawmakers, however, were more cautious in their assessments of what has been accomplished.
“A ceasefire is welcome — but it can’t paper over a failed strategy that delivered on not one of his promises. Not one,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said in a statement Monday. “This president and the compliant GOP majority that enables him have turned their backs on Americans struggling in this economy, and voters will hold them accountable in November.”
Over the course of the Iran war, gas and diesel prices rose by more than 50%, pushing up prices on food and other consumer goods.
Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, who serves as ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, praised the Trump administration’s “turn toward diplomacy,“ adding in a post on X that “any final agreement must be durable, enforceable, transparent and subject to rigorous oversight by Congress. The American people deserve more than vague announcements or political spin.”
Israelis from across the political spectrum reacted angrily Monday to news of the deal, calling it a disaster for Israel and directing their fury at one man: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As of early Monday evening, Netanyahu had yet to release a statement about the deal, but other Israeli government officials, rivals, politicians and commentators were quick to weigh in.
Critics say the prime minister led Trump into the war with Iran while overpromising what it could achieve, and Trump now might be dragging Israel out of the conflict before it feels ready.
“Israel is paying the price of Netanyahu’s hubris and blindness, and the price of the manipulations that he tried to pull on Trump," former Prime Minister and Netanyahu rival Ehud Barak said Monday in an interview with Israel’s public broadcaster. “Iran emerged stronger; Israel emerged weaker. That is Netanyahu’s strategic responsibility. He failed.”
Yair Lapid, who will challenge Netanyahu in the upcoming election, wrote Sunday that the deal, was shaping up to be “one of the most shocking failures in Israel’s foreign and security policy … entirely registered in Netanyahu’s name.”
“It can be fixed, it must be fixed,” he wrote. “Netanyahu can no longer fix it; we will do it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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