U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sharply criticized the newly disclosed 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran on Thursday, calling the agreement one of the worst deals ever negotiated by a sitting American president, hours after the White House officially transmitted the full text of the document to Congress.
Duckworth, a combat veteran who sits on the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, posted her reaction on X at 11:04 a.m. on June 18, responding directly to a post containing the complete 14-point text of the memorandum. “Shocking concessions with no conditions. For a self-glorified deal maker, this is one of the worst deals ever made,” Duckworth wrote.
Her post linked to a thread laying out the full memorandum, which the White House had transmitted to Congress earlier Thursday following the agreement’s signing the previous day. The transmission gave lawmakers their first official look at the complete terms of the deal struck between Washington and Tehran to end the war that began February 28, 2026, and to lay the groundwork for further negotiations over sanctions, reconstruction funding, and Iran’s nuclear program.
The memorandum, titled the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran, opens with a declaration of “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” and a mutual pledge by both nations to refrain from initiating future military action against each other. The two countries also agreed to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in one another’s internal affairs.
Under the agreement’s terms, the United States committed to beginning removal of its naval blockade of Iran immediately upon signing, with a full end to the blockade within 30 days. Vessel traffic during that window would be calibrated to match pre-war levels as Iran restores commercial shipping. The U.S. also agreed to withdraw forces from Iran’s proximity within 30 days of a final deal being reached. In return, Iran agreed to use its best efforts to ensure free, safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz for a 60-day period, including the removal of mines and other obstacles within 30 days.
The memorandum further commits the United States to working with regional partners to assemble a reconstruction and economic development plan for Iran worth at least $300 billion, with implementation mechanisms to be finalized within 60 days. The U.S. also pledged to terminate all sanctions against Iran — including United Nations Security Council resolutions, IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and unilateral U.S. sanctions — on a schedule to be agreed upon as part of a final deal, and to issue Treasury Department waivers immediately allowing the export of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products.
On the nuclear front, the memorandum states that Iran “reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons.” The two sides agreed to resolve the disposition of Iran’s stockpiled enriched uranium through a mechanism to be mutually determined, with down-blending on Iranian soil under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision listed as the minimum methodology under discussion. Further negotiation over enrichment levels and Iran’s broader nuclear needs was deferred to the 60-day final-deal process. Pending that final agreement, both countries agreed to maintain the status quo — Iran on its nuclear program, and the U.S. on new sanctions and additional regional troop deployments.
The memorandum also commits the United States to making Iran’s frozen or restricted funds and assets fully available for use upon implementation, with procedures for their release to be negotiated and necessary licenses issued by Washington. An executive mechanism will be established to monitor compliance with the MOU and any eventual final deal, which the document states will be endorsed by a binding United Nations Security Council resolution.
Duckworth’s response to the memorandum’s release is consistent with a position she has held since the war began. On February 28, 2026, the day Trump launched what the administration called Operation Epic Fury, Duckworth issued a statement accusing the president of breaking his promises to the American people on foreign wars and the cost of living. In the weeks that followed, she became one of the so-called “Senate Six,” a group of senators who repeatedly forced floor votes on War Powers Resolutions aimed at ending U.S. military involvement against Iran without congressional authorization. Senate Republicans blocked those measures on multiple occasions, including a vote in April on a resolution Duckworth herself sponsored.
When Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in April, Duckworth issued a statement arguing that conditions for Americans had worsened rather than improved since the war began, citing higher gas prices and the deaths of U.S. servicemembers. She has also pressed the administration on the legal basis for its characterization of when hostilities formally ended, joining colleagues including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Tim Kaine in a letter questioning the White House’s interpretation of the War Powers Resolution’s reporting requirements.
In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in May, Duckworth questioned CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper about the administration’s strategy and endgame in Iran, warning that a lack of clear objectives risked prolonging the conflict indefinitely. Her Thursday statement on the 14-point memorandum extends that line of criticism into the post-war diplomatic phase, framing the negotiated terms themselves — rather than the conduct of the war alone — as a failure of the administration’s stated dealmaking approach.
The release of the full memorandum text to Congress on Thursday is expected to intensify scrutiny of the agreement on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers from both parties have been awaiting official documentation of the terms struck between Washington and Tehran. Duckworth’s office had not issued a separate written statement beyond her X post as of Thursday afternoon.