Marco Rubio Calls GOP Criticism Of Trump’s Emerging Iran Deal “Absurd” In India

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press conference in India on Sunday that Republican criticism of a possible Iran-Trump emerging deal was “absurd,” adding that “our preference is to address this through a diplomatic means.”

“Republicans who have drawn a hard line on Iran pan Trump’s emerging proposal to end the war Republicans who have drawn a hard line on Iran pan Trump’s emerging proposal to end the war WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s emerging deal to end the Iran war is drawing heavy criticism from some fellow Republicans who favor a harder line against the government in Tehran and fear a lost opportunity to finally rein in a longtime Mideast nemesis”

AP News

Rubio argued that “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,” and said “That’s just not going to happen.”

AP News

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said on Saturday that a deal with Iran was “largely negotiated” and would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, writing on Truth Social that “In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.”

The Hill also reported that multiple Republicans raised concerns that a premature deal could shift the balance of power toward Iran, including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who wrote on X that if the Strait of Hormuz cannot be protected from Iranian terrorism, “then Iran will be perceived as being a dominate force requiring a diplomatic solution.”

The Associated Press reported that Republicans who have drawn a hard line on Iran are criticizing Trump’s emerging proposal to end the war, with Sen. Ted Cruz saying the president’s decision to strike Iran was the “most consequential” of his second term and that he should not let up now.

Cruz wrote on X that “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,” and Sen. Roger Wicker questioned a proposed 60-day ceasefire as a “disaster.”

Euronews

AP also said Trump dismissed objections to a deal that he said was not “even fully negotiated yet,” while Trump asserted that a U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports would remain “in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”

In a separate thread of criticism, Mike Pompeo said on Saturday that the emerging deal seemed “straight out of the Wendy Sherman-Robert Malley-Ben Rhodes playbook: Pay the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)] to build a WMD program and terrorize the world,” prompting a White House response from communications director Steven Cheung in which Cheung said Pompeo “has no idea what the f— he’s talking about.”

MS NOW reported that it remained unclear whether Iran would give up its cache of enriched uranium or reduce its “vast missile stockpile,” and it said the timing of a full agreement was uncertain while a senior Trump administration official told the outlet it would not be signed on Sunday.

“Topline President Donald Trump on Sunday slammed backlash that came after he said a peace deal with Iran was in its final stages, which led to Republicans attacking each other on social media—at times with profanity-laden name-calling—as the anti-war wing of the party lauded a potential end to the war while others suggested a deal maintaining the Iranian regime would be a failure for the U”

Forbes

The outlet said Trump posted an image on Truth Social showing an AI-generated photo of an American warplane bombing Iranian-flagged ships, with the message “Adios,” and it also said Trump reiterated that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports “will remain in full force and effect” until a final agreement is reached.

MS NOW described a tentative framework in which the U.S. and Iran would unfreeze certain Iranian assets, negotiate curbing Iran’s nuclear program, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, “through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply normally transits.”

The Times of Israel reported that senior GOP senators criticized alleged terms of the emerging Iran deal, including Sen. Lindsey Graham warning of a “nightmare for Israel” if a deal leaves Iran able to “destroy major Gulf oil infrastructure,” while Sen. Roger Wicker warned that the “rumored 60-day ceasefire — with the belief that Iran will ever engage in good faith — would be a disaster.”