U.S. and Iranian representatives met Friday in Switzerland to sign a memorandum of understanding expected to help end the war between the two countries. The draft has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats in Washington, who questioned whether it serves American interests.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said his party would not back the deal. He wrote, "The American people are paying the price for Trump's incompetence: 13 Americans were killed, hundreds were wounded, gas prices have gone up, and the costs are higher than ever. Democrats will not help Trump send $300 billion to Iran." Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Tom Cotton also joined Republican critics, warning that parts of the agreement move Washington toward Iran. He said the U.S. would immediately lift Iran's oil sanctions, freeing up "between 150 and 200 million dollars a day," which he said Tehran would use not for hospitals but to rebuild drones and missiles and fund Hamas and Hezbollah.
Against this backdrop of tension between Washington and Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently tried to cool the situation with the White House and to make clear that cabinet ministers' posts criticizing President Donald Trump do not reflect his own position. He previously said, in response to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, that he was the one "holding the wheel," but the criticism of Trump has now become personal and is also tied to criticism inside the United States.
A White House source briefed reporters two days ago on the memorandum's clauses, saying Iran would be allowed to keep the status quo in its nuclear program while the Americans would lift sanctions according to progress. The document also calls for an "immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon."
