Prominent conservative commentators and allies of U.S. President Donald Trump are publicly attacking the emerging agreement with Iran, saying it could strengthen Tehran and damage shared American and Israeli interests. Critics argue the administration may be conceding too much in the talks, while Trump supporters who normally back his foreign policy are demanding to see the text of the deal.
Retired General Jack Keane, who advised Trump privately during the war, told Fox News, “I cannot understand some of the things coming out of the administration. That is what I find so troubling.” Mark Thiessen, a former chief speechwriter for George W. Bush, called the initial reports about the deal “absolutely devastating.” Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and another Trump adviser, said he was eager to see the agreement’s wording.
The main source of anger is reporting that Iran could gain access to as much as $100 billion in frozen funds, plus a $300 billion reconstruction fund to cover war damage. Administration officials told The Wall Street Journal that Tehran would only get the money if it proves it will meet the deal’s conditions, including neutralizing enriched uranium and opening the Strait of Hormuz. Conservative religious commentator Ben Shapiro warned that if Trump signed a bad deal, many supporters would be “disappointed in an extraordinary way,” adding that if only Iran’s antiwar critics liked it, then it was a bad deal.
Radio host Erik Erickson called the agreement “American surrender” and predicted Iran would emerge stronger because it could choke global oil supplies through Hormuz. Veteran commentator Mark Levin also urged publication of the deal’s text, but Trump campaign aide Alex Bruesewitz mocked him online, calling his reaction panicky; Levin responded by calling Bruesewitz “stupid.” Vice President JD Vance said on Fox News that “the Iranians do not get a dime unless they behave well and change their behavior,” and stressed that the reconstruction fund would come from Gulf states, not the United States. Vance is expected to travel to Switzerland on Friday to sign the deal. Not all pro-Israel conservatives joined the backlash, with former Minnesota senator Norm Coleman saying he was waiting for details and would not doubt Trump yet, calling him “the best friend the Jewish state has ever had in the White House.”
