WASHINGTON — Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) blasted the US-Iran memorandum of understanding Thursday, saying it “negotiates away the victories of Operation Epic Fury” and is “completely out of step” with President Trump’s goals.
Wicker, the top Republican at the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Trump’s giveaways to Iran under the deal would make “President Obama’s 2015 deal look like a pittance by comparison.”
Wicker, who along with other hawkish Republicans, had been urging Trump to finish the military campaign against Iran, rather than make a deal that could enrich the regime.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., arrives for a vote in the US Capitol on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. ZUMAPRESS.comVice President JD Vance Thursday addressed complaints from skeptical Republicans during a press briefing at the White House.
“Have a little bit of faith in the president of the United States,” Vance said to GOP naysayers.
“The idea that he is going to strike a deal that’s been bad for the American people, it’s preposterous. He is the person who has had the courage to fundamentally transform our relationship with Iran, and with a lot of other countries over the last year and a half.”
Wicker had declined to comment until the official text of the 14-point deal was transmitted to Congress. He unleashed his concerns on Thursday, along with some of his other colleagues.
“Since day one, I have supported President Trump’s efforts to end Iran’s 47-year threat to the United States and our partners,” Wicker said.
“Specifically, the $300 billion fund for the reconstruction and economic development of Iran – though not funded by U.S. taxpayers — would make Iran’s payoff under President Obama’s 2015 deal look like a pittance by comparison,” he added.
Donald Trump addresses the media on the tarmac after arriving at Paris Orly Airport enroute to a dinner to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, at Orly Airport, south of Paris, on June 17, 2026. AFP via Getty Images“I believe it would be an error to force Israel to stand down against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization that continues to attack Israel on its northern border,” he said. “I also oppose the U.S. lifting any sanctions on Iran, or unfreezing Iranian funds, in exchange for Iran’s mere agreement to negotiate for another 60 days.”
The Senate Armed Services chairman concluded: “President Trump has pursued peace through strength. I hope the intermediaries working on this deal are not undermining that objective.”
The US-Iran memorandum of understanding, which Trump signed Wednesday, would impose an immediate 60-day cessation of the conflict in exchange for Iran’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the end of a US-imposed naval blockade.
That cease-fire extends to Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists have been warring with Israel.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian displays a memorandum of understanding after signing it in Tehran. Iranian Presidency via ZUMA Press / SplashNews.comUS officials have emphasized that other provisions — including the $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran — are conditioned on Iran’s willingness to abandon its nuclear ambitions and material support for terrorism in the Middle East.
“It’s a memorandum of understanding, and if I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head,” Trump threatened.
Follow The Post’s coverage on the latest in the peace deal with Iran:
- Fed-up Trump threatens to ‘blow the s–t’ out of Iran — prompting Tehran to storm out of US peace talks
- Vance suggests US, Iran could ‘transform’ relationship but Tehran officials insist they’re not making friends: ‘Primary option is jihad’
- Trump vows to ‘hit Iran very hard again’ if Tehran doesn’t rein in Hezbollah
- Strait of Hormuz closing again, IRGC announces — as US Central Command says commercial traffic has ‘increased’
The president, Vance, and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf have all signed the MOU, but it’s unclear whether a formal ceremony will follow on Friday.
Several congressional Republicans have criticized the terms of the deal as being too lenient toward Tehran.
In this picture obtained from Iran’s ISNA news agency on June 18, 2026, vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz. ISNA/AFP via Getty Images“History demonstrates that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics that want to murder us is an exceptionally bad idea,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said. “Unfortunately, the president is receiving some really bad advice on this deal. I don’t want to see us send a penny to the Ayatollah.”
Trump and Vance have both highlighted how the reopening of the strait, which began Thursday, has allowed oil exports to flow out of the Persian Gulf again and calmed markets.
Prices skyrocketed to more than $100 per barrel in March after the launch of Operation Epic Fury with Israel against Iran, which decimated its ballistic missile capacity and decapitated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei when strikes began on Feb. 28.
His son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded him, said in an X post Thursday: “In the course of reaching this stage, the officials in charge, out of sincere concern and goodwill, made extensive efforts—and of course, it was the American president who, out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage to bring this about.”
“However, it’s self-evident that the in-person negotiations in the future will not mean acceptance of the enemy’s position,” he added.
