By Admin 
US President Donald Trump’s memorandum agreement with Iran was continuously criticized by both the Democrats and Republican parties. Criticizing the agreement, lawmakers, senior officials and policy experts questioned whether Tehran has benefited more from the deal than Washington. The criticism came as Vice President JD Vance was holding talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland. However, Trump government officials defended the deal, calling it the beginning of a diplomatic process aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said the government is watching negotiations with Iran “with completely open eyes” and is focused on ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. Waltz said, “We have to give this process a chance. We have to give peace a chance.” He argued that the US was coming to the negotiating table with a “strong position” and that the foundation of any future arrangement would be based “not on trust, but on verification”. However, there was criticism from both parties.
‘Donald Trump surrendered’
Democratic Senator Cory Booker told NBC’s Meet the Press that he did not support the deal, calling it “a kind of surrender.” “Iran gets all the benefits, literally trillions and trillions of dollars. This is a colossal failure of their own making,” Booker said. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper also expressed his doubts about the agreement, despite welcoming the ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Esper said, “When I look at the agreement, there are many points in it about which I have serious questions and concerns. I think a lot of the incentives were given in the deal at the beginning rather than later.”
‘If the agreement fails, Trump will capture Hormuz’
On CBS, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham supported continuing diplomacy, but acknowledged shortcomings in the agreement. Graham said, “Is there a problem with the MOU? Yes. I would prefer to try diplomacy rather than postponing it.” Graham made a prediction, “If this diplomatic effort fails, President Trump will take over the Strait of Hormuz. We will run it.” This debate also exposed the divisions within Trump’s own party.
‘The money will be used to kill Americans’
CBS showed comments from several Republican senators in which they expressed concern over this agreement. Senator Ted Cruz said, “If we give billions of dollars to Iran, that money will be used to kill Americans.” Senator John Cornyn warned that Iran could use the released funds to rebuild its military capabilities.
Read this also- First round of talks between America and Iran ends in Switzerland, consensus reached on high level committee, Araghchi’s first reaction
Policy experts raised questions on America’s security
Energy and foreign policy experts also raised questions on the long-term impact of this agreement. Former White House energy adviser Amos Hochstein argued that the deal gave major concessions to Tehran. “This agreement made America less safe,” he said. Clearview energy partner Kevin Book said the arrangement appears larger than previous agreements with Iran, especially for oil exports.
Government committed to results through talks
Despite the criticism, Waltz insisted that the government was committed to a negotiated outcome. He said, “I am confident that we will reach a deal.” The MoU, signed last week, ended nearly four months of conflict between the US and Iran and gave 60 days for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program and regional security issues.
Also read- ‘There are two important ‘Indian-Pakistani’ people in my life…’, what JD Vance said while mentioning Asim Munir
With inputs from IANS