WASHINGTON — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) sharply criticized the Trump administration’s newly announced memorandum of understanding with Iran on June 17, 2026, calling it “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades” in a post on X. “Reagan is rolling over in his grave,” Cassidy wrote. “Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future. Now, Iran gets to build brand-new infrastructure under this deal.”
“Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions, and 13 service members were still alive,” Cassidy continued. “Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have paid billions at the pump, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped. This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.” Earlier the same day, Cassidy told a reporter with Nexstar Media Group in a Capitol hallway interview that the deal’s details “look … awful” and that it “will go down as a tremendous foreign policy blunder.”
The Memorandum of Understanding
Cassidy’s remarks came hours after senior U.S. officials read aloud the contents of a 14-point memorandum of understanding with Iran to reporters, though the full text had not yet been publicly released. The agreement provides for an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts,” with the U.S. agreeing to drop its embargo against Iran and work “to terminate all types of sanctions.” Iran, in turn, “reaffirms they shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons,” according to the memorandum’s text.
Vice President JD Vance said on CBS Mornings that the deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz “immediately” and create a framework under which Iran could be “reinvited into the world economy” if it stopped funding terrorism and abandoned efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon. The agreement also reportedly includes a $300 billion framework for Iran’s reconstruction, though Trump and Vance have offered conflicting public statements about whether and how that funding would materialize. The deal sets a 60-day window for further negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, after which Trump said the U.S. could resume military strikes if no broader agreement is reached.
Trump’s Defense of the Deal
Speaking at a news conference in Évian-les-Bains, France, closing out the G7 summit, Trump defended the agreement and said the threat of renewed bombing, rather than enforcement mechanisms in the text itself, would keep Iran in compliance. “No, it’s not final. It’s a memorandum of understanding, and if I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs on their head,” Trump said.
Asked by a reporter whether anything in the deal was enforceable, Trump responded, “Doesn’t have to be,” adding, “I let them know. I said, ‘Look, if you don’t adhere to the agreement — I don’t want to do that — but we’re going to bomb the hell out of you.'” Trump also said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Iran’s commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon was the most important outcome Israel could have asked for, and he thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for remaining “neutral” during the conflict.
Cassidy’s Political Position
Cassidy is in the final months of his Senate term after losing his Republican primary in May to a Trump-backed challenger. Trump endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow in the race, who advanced to a June 27 runoff against State Treasurer John Fleming. The winner will face the Democratic nominee in November to succeed Cassidy when his term ends. Cassidy had voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial in 2021, and has been increasingly outspoken in criticizing the president’s policies since losing the primary, including supporting an earlier Democratic-led war powers resolution aimed at ending the Iran conflict.
Other Republican Reactions
Cassidy was not alone among Republicans in voicing skepticism. Conservative commentator Marc Thiessen, who has been described as having a direct line to the president, asked on social media, “Why are so many of us who support and defend President Trump all expressing the same concerns about this deal? If we’re wrong release the MOU and show the world there’s nothing to be concerned about.” Pro-Israel commentator Ben Shapiro told The Wall Street Journal that if the deal turned out to be insufficient, “many of us who cheered and stood by him and thought that his action in Iran was heroic, will be extraordinarily disappointed.”
Other Republicans struck a more supportive tone. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a national security hawk who had previously urged Trump to resume strikes on Iran during the ceasefire, wrote on social media that signing the memorandum “will be beneficial to the United States, in as much as the Strait of Hormuz will begin to open, and the hostilities with Iran will stop.” Graham added that whether the U.S. could reach “an acceptable, verifiable deal” with Iran on its nuclear program “is yet to be determined, but I see little downside to trying.”
Next Steps
U.S. and Iranian officials have indicated a formal signing ceremony for the agreement is expected to take place in Switzerland, with Trump suggesting it could occur as early as Thursday or as planned on Friday. The full text of the memorandum had not been released publicly as of Wednesday evening, and members of Congress, including Cassidy, said they had been kept largely in the dark about the deal’s contents until officials began briefing reporters earlier that day, even though the agreement was reported to have been reached over the preceding weekend.