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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s deal with Iran has opened a rare breach with Republican hawks, who warn that the agreement falls far short of the sweeping victory he promised and could leave Tehran richer, stronger and still able to threaten the region.
The memorandum of understanding, signed by Trump in France, is aimed at ending months of conflict, reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz and stabilizing energy markets after a war that drove up oil prices and raised fears of a wider Middle East crisis.
But the terms have alarmed some of the same Republicans who spent years denouncing Democratic former president Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran as dangerously weak.
They have voiced concerns that Trump is offering Iran sanctions relief, access to oil markets and the prospect of a $300 billion reconstruction fund while failing to secure firm commitments on uranium enrichment, ballistic missiles or Tehran’s support for armed proxies.
