▲ U.S. President Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be cornered at home following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war with Iran.
Criticism is pouring in not only from the opposition Democratic Party but also from his own Republican Party, accusing him of giving away too much without getting anything in return.
Concerns are also rising that even the implementation of the MOU may not go smoothly from the start.
U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) issued a statement on June 18, local time, criticizing the MOU between the United States and Iran.
Chairman Wicker expressed concern that the MOU could overshadow the achievements of military operations against Iran, pointing out, "Even if the $300 billion to be raised for Iran's reconstruction is not funded by American taxpayers, it will make the concessions the Barack Obama administration sought to grant in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal look like pocket change."
He also expressed opposition to lifting sanctions and releasing frozen assets in exchange for Iran's simple promise to hold additional negotiations for 60 days.
He argued that forcing Israel to back down in its fight against Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian militant group in Lebanon, is also a mistake.
He criticized that the MOU offers Iran far greater economic rewards than the Obama administration's nuclear deal, pointing out that the U.S. has essentially gained nothing other than the 60-day negotiation period.
This is the most painful criticism for President Trump, who withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and had promised a "better deal."
Chairman Wicker is a leading hardliner on Iran within the Republican Party.
Since signs of an MOU with Iran first emerged, he has warned against a deal favorable to Iran and emphasized "peace through strength."
As the final text of the MOU was released the previous day, critical stances have been flooding out from the Republican Party.
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) declared, "Reagan is rolling over in his grave. This is the worst foreign policy mistake in decades."
By invoking former President Ronald Reagan, an iconic figure of the conservative movement, he criticized the MOU for shaking the very foundations of the Republican Party's policy stance.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also chimed in, saying, "Giving billions of dollars to theocratic zealots who want to kill us is not a good idea."
Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) also criticized the agreement, saying it hands over massive funds to support proxy forces while failing to stop Iran's uranium enrichment and its imposition of tolls in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump, who returned from a visit to France to attend the G7 summit, is focusing on defending the MOU.
After devoting a significant portion of his press conference in France to responding to criticisms of the MOU, he has continued to highlight optimistic outlooks since returning home, claiming that oil prices will fall and the stock market will rise.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who is leading the negotiations with Iran, also held a press conference at the White House on that day, striving to block the spread of criticism by saying, "It is worth trying to see if Iran will change its behavior."
However, concerns are emerging from the very beginning that the implementation of the MOU may not go smoothly.
According to Vice President Vance, the 60-day negotiation period began on that day, following the remote signing of the agreement by President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian the previous day.
The original plan was for the negotiating teams of both sides to meet in Switzerland on June 19 to hold an official signing ceremony and enter into negotiations.
However, Vice President Vance said, "The plan is to negotiate this weekend, but that could change."
This suggested that the start of the negotiations could be delayed as the initial plan was altered.
Amid concerns that it will not be easy to resolve the numerous issues for Iran's denuclearization within 60 days, the likelihood of a delay in the start of the talks has increased.
Iran is also showing a stance that it will not easily back down to the U.S. in the subsequent negotiation phase as soon as the MOU takes effect.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei issued a written message to the nation, stating that he conditionally approved the MOU and would never accept unreasonable demands from the U.S.
The remarks undermine the "sincerity" of the Trump administration, which had offered incentives such as lifting sanctions on Iranian oil sales and releasing frozen assets to elicit Iran's cooperation, while also foreshadowing a fierce tug-of-war in the subsequent negotiations.
This raises the possibility of setbacks to President Trump's plan to secure denuclearization measures from Iran and justify the war through the 60-day negotiations.
For President Trump, who is already overwhelmed with the tasks of appeasing his base and silencing opposition criticism, a rocky road ahead for the subsequent negotiations is becoming a reality.
On a positive note, the drop in oil prices following the MOU agreement is welcome news for President Trump, who has been desperately trying to curb rising oil prices ahead of the midterm elections in November.
On this day, the average U.S. national gasoline price was recorded at $3.999 per gallon.
It is the first time since late March that gasoline prices have fallen below $4, a psychological threshold for consumers.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.