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‘Trump should renege’: Iran deal faces backlash from conservative allies

Critics say the framework gives Iran huge financial benefits without requiring dismantlement of nuclear infrastructure

2026-06-17T17:52:27-04:00 / Fox News

By Elaine Mallon Fox News

Published June 17, 2026 5:52pm EDT | Updated June 17, 2026 7:04pm EDT

Trump calls Iran peace deal ‘a wall to a nuclear weapon’

During a bilateral meeting, President Donald Trump praises the U.S.-Iran deal, describing it as ‘a wall to a nuclear weapon’ and one of the ‘dumbest’ deals. Fox News’ Harris Faulkner outlines key reported components, such as a 60-day negotiation for a final agreement, a ceasefire in Lebanon and a U.S. pause on new sanctions.

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President Donald Trump’s proposed Iran agreement is drawing sharp criticism from some of his strongest supporters, who argue the deal rewards Tehran before it has agreed to fully dismantle its nuclear program.

The 14-point framework agreement, unveiled on Wednesday, establishes an immediate ceasefire between the United States and Iran, with key provisions including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the removal of the U.S. naval blockade, temporary waivers allowing Iranian oil exports, access to frozen Iranian assets and a commitment to negotiate a final agreement within 60 days. The framework also outlines a proposed economic reconstruction package reportedly worth at least $300 billion and includes Iran’s renewed pledge not to pursue nuclear weapons.

However, critics note that the agreement does not require the immediate dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, the removal of enriched uranium stockpiles, restrictions on Tehran’s ballistic missile program or the disbandment of Iranian-backed proxy groups such as Hezbollah.

Despite the administration portraying the agreement as a breakthrough, critics have argued that the concessions offered to Iran far outweigh the commitments secured in return.

IRAN’S REGIME SPINS NUCLEAR AND STRAIT OF HORMUZ DEAL WITH TRUMP AS VICTORY OVER US, ISRAEL

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a morning work meeting to “revive balanced, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth for the benefit of all” in the presence of the G7 countries, partner countries, the International Monetary Fund, and the OECD, as part of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 17, 2026.(Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images)

“The deal is absolutely terrible, there’s no getting around it,” Will Chamberlain, senior counsel at the Article III Project and vice president of external affairs at the Edmund Burke Foundation, wrote on X. “The text gives Iranians huge, immediate financial benefits and protection for Hezbollah in exchange for opening the Strait – and nothing else. President Trump should renege.”

Conservative talk radio host Mark Levin praised President Trump’s decision to use military force against Iran but sharply criticized the proposed MOU, arguing that it abandons U.S. leverage before Tehran has made meaningful concessions.

“From day one, I have underscored that no deal will be honored by the Iranian regime,” Levin wrote on X, adding, “Why would we agree to immediately drop the most important leverage we have over the regime in advance of it complying with MOU requirements?”

AG Hamilton, the pseudonym of a licensed attorney and conservative commentator with a large following on X, sharply criticized the preliminary U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.

“So they get to keep the nuclear program, the ballistic missile program, and funding for terror proxies. But they will pinky promise not to build a full nuke while getting billions of financial relief to fund all of that. Great deal. Should have had Kamala Harris negotiate it,” AG wrote.

Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security official who served during President Donald Trump’s first term and is a known critic of the president, called the memorandum of understanding “pathetic.”

“I was involved in Iran issues in the first Trump administration,” Taylor wrote on X. “The Trump ‘deal’ could be the most humiliating in U.S. diplomatic history. Hundred of billions in exchange for a ‘promise’ we already had.”

JD VANCE REVEALS DETAILS OF US-IRAN DEAL, ADDRESSES WHETHER TAXPAYER MONEY WILL GO TO TEHRAN

Atlanta-based conservative talk radio host Erick Erickson called it “American surrender.”

The deal came as little surprise to many observers, as versions of the alleged memorandum had been circulating for days.

“So the MOU is the same one that’s been out for days (as many of us have known the whole time, because we’ve been doing this for a while). And it’s as awful today as it was all week,” conservative commentator David Reaboi wrote on X.

Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, Wednesday, in Tehran. The U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday, barely an hour before President Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz.(AFP via Getty Images)

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also delivered a lengthy and highly critical response, mocking the administration’s handling of the conflict and questioning the rationale behind a proposed reconstruction fund for Iran. Greene argued that American taxpayers would ultimately bear the financial burden while the Iranian regime remained in power.

TRUMP UNLEASHES ON OBAMA’S ‘DISASTER’ IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL, SAYS HE WAS ‘HONORED’ TO RIP IT APART

Trump’s former vice president and 2024 rival Mike Pence said the ceasefire agreement was almost identical to the Obama and Biden administration’s approach to the Iranians.

“The reported MOU with Iran smacks of the kind of appeasement that we saw during the Obama years, the kind of appeasement that Joe Biden tried to accomplish and was ignored by the Iranians, and the kind of appeasement we categorically rejected during the first Trump administration,” Pence wrote on X.

And former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, another 2024 Republican candidate for president defeated by Trump, called the agreement a “huge mistake.”

TRUMP BROKERS IRAN CEASEFIRE AS EXPERTS SAY REGIME’S ARSENAL IS SHATTERED BUT THREAT REMAINS

President Donald Trump announced he accepted the resignation of Nikki Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 9, 2018.(Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

“Hitting Iran’s nuclear and missile sites was the right move. This regime chants death to America, murders our troops, and attempts to assassinate Americans on U.S. soil. They believe they have an obligation to destroy us,” Haley wrote on X.

“Now, we plan to unlock billions of dollars and lift sanctions, with the promise of even more money. They will use that money the way they always do— to further their nuclear ambitions and on terrorist proxies against us. It’s a huge mistake to pay to rebuild the threat we just destroyed.”

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Others, however, welcomed the move away from further military escalation. Broadcaster Piers Morgan said he was pleased to see Trump seeking an exit from the conflict, even while criticizing the circumstances that led to it.

“This Iran deal is about as far removed from ‘unconditional surrender’ as any deal in the history of Planet Earth,” Morgan wrote on X. “I’m glad President Trump is getting out of this fiasco, but I bet if he had his time again, he’d have never got into it or believed Netanyahu’s bullsh*t.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6398668919112

Pastors for Trump founder withdraws from US House race after texting scandal

2026-06-17T20:06:50.868Z / CNN

By Arit John

Updated 3 hr ago

Updated Jun 17, 2026, 4:11 PM ET

PUBLISHED Jun 17, 2026, 4:06 PM ET

Jackson Lahmeyer, seen on April 13, 2022.

Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman/USA Today Network/Imagn Images/File

Pastors for Trump founder Jackson Lahmeyer on Wednesday announced he was ending his bid for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, one day after he was projected to advance to a runoff for the Republican nomination in the wake of a texting scandal.

“After prayerful consideration with my wife, Kendra, and my team over the last twenty four hours, I’ve made the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for Congress,” Lahmeyer, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump ahead of Tuesday’s primary, said in a statement. “I do not want to be a distraction to my family, my church, and the great people of Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, who deserve a strong conservative voice representing them in Washington.”

Lahmeyer’s exit comes after a Daily Mail report alleged the pastor had sent romantic text messages to a woman who is not his wife. After the story ran Sunday, Lahmeyer acknowledged inappropriate behavior but also criticized the outlet and the timing of the story’s publication.

“This matter was already dealt with privately between me and my wife, Kendra, through counsel and prayer with God and spiritual advisors,” Lahmeyer wrote on X Sunday. “I own crossing a boundary line through text messaging. I also ended all communication. The British Tabloid tried to paint me out in a way which is not the case.”

The lead pastor of Sheridan Church in Tulsa, Lahmeyer brought together a coalition of pastors to lobby for Trump’s reelection in 2024. The president rewarded his support with an endorsement in May.

While Trump on Monday reaffirmed his support for Lahmeyer, he pivoted on Wednesday, announcing that he was instead backing his runoff opponent, state lawmaker Mark Tedford.

“I greatly appreciate Jackson Lahmeyer’s hard work under difficult circumstances — He has always been with me, and I will always be with him,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “But, when it comes to the current Congressional race for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, I will be supporting America First Patriot, Mark Tedford.”

Lahmeyer’s withdrawal from the race leaves an open path to the nomination for Tedford as he vies to succeed GOP Rep. Kevin Hern, who is running for Senate.

CNN’s Maureen Chowdhury and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.

Here’s how Trump’s memo of understanding with Iran compares to the Obama nuclear deal

2026-06-17T18:45:07-0400 / https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-trump-iran-nuclear-deal-memorandum-of-understanding-compares-to-obama-nuclear-deal-jcpoa/

Washington— The memorandum of understanding that President Trump struck with Iran last weekend sets up a two-month sprint toward a longer-term deal over the fate of the Iranian nuclear program, eight years after Mr. Trump pulled out of an Obama-era nuclear agreement that he viewed as “disastrous” and “one-sided.”

The Trump administration says its memorandum of understanding is far superior to the Obama administration’s 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and will do much more to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insists it will be different from the JCPOA because the U.S. will “make sure the military option is there,” something Mr. Trump stressed.

The memorandum is not a final agreement like the JCPOA, which numbered hundreds of pages and was packed with technical details.

Rather, the new deal is a 14-point framework that extends the ceasefire in the U.S.-Iran war and sets the stage for talks on a permanent nuclear agreement. It doesn’t include specifics on what will happen to Iran’s enriched uranium or its nuclear program, leaving those details to be sorted out over the next 60 days.

The text of the deal was read out to reporters by senior U.S. officials on Wednesday.

Although the memorandum is merely a roadmap for further negotiations, since Trump administration officials are comparing the two, here are some of the differences and similarities:

Both deals ban Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — but the JCPOA was far more specific about how

Mr. Trump said in a news conference Wednesday he wanted to make sure Iran could never “procure” a nuclear weapon, aside from just ensuring Iran can’t develop one, language he said he wanted in the memorandum of understanding.

But the JCPOA also included a commitment from Iran to not procure a nuclear weapon.

“Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons,” the JCPOA reads.

The new memorandum says Iran “reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons.” But exactly how that will be enforced will be left up to the final deal.

JCPOA let Iran enrich uranium at a limited level. It’s unclear what a Trump-era deal will require.

Under the JCPOA, Iran wasn’t required to destroy all of its enriched uranium, but it was required to dramatically reduce its stockpile at a time when its levels of highly enriched material were far lower than they are now.

Iran also agreed in the JCPOA to cap its level of uranium enrichment to 3.67% for 15 years, well below the 90% level required to produce nuclear weapons. It required Iran to confine all of its enrichment to a single nuclear facility in Natanz. The JCPOA also restricted the number and types of centrifuges Iran could have in operation.

The new memorandum says the mechanics of handling Iran’s uranium will be decided in technical negotiations over the next 60 days, but it suggests Iran will face some limits. Unlike when the JCPOA was negotiated, Iran’s uranium stockpile now includes uranium enriched to 60% purity — just a short step to weapons-grade material.

The deal says the two countries “agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpiled enriched material.” It includes a “minimum” standard of “downblending” Iran’s enriched uranium on site under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

It’s not yet clear if the enriched uranium would be destroyed or removed from the country, or merely downblended to a lower grade. The memorandum doesn’t get into specific figures. And the new agreement doesn’t mention centrifuges.

Mr. Trump didn’t express urgency over Iran’s enriched uranium Wednesday, noting that most of the 60%-enriched material is believed to be buried underneath rubble following a round of U.S. airstrikes last year.

“Nobody is going to get that for a long time, unless we want to get it,” the president told reporters at a news conference at the G7 summit in France, adding that it’s “not valuable” and “nobody’s touching it.”

Earlier this year, Mr. Trump pressed Iran to abandon all uranium enrichment, a step that would be stricter than the JCPOA — and one that Iranian officials have refused to take in the past. Iran has long insisted its nuclear program only exists for peaceful purposes, though the 60%-enriched uranium that it has accumulated in recent years is well above the level needed for most civilian uses.

On Wednesday, however, Mr. Trump appeared to leave open a door for Iran to have a civilian nuclear program.

“It is a little hard, though, when you say that somebody wants it, other people have it, other, adjoining states have it,” he said. “And you’re not letting them have it for purposes of electricity and things like that. It’s always a little tough. You have to use a little common sense.”

Sunset clauses

The JCPOA had 10 and 15-year sunset clauses, a key criticism leveled against the deal.

The memorandum of understanding, not yet a final agreement, has no sunset clauses. It’s not clear if a final deal will.

Mr. Trump told The New York Times over the weekend he wants Iran to agree to suspend all uranium enrichment for 15 to 20 years — but he also wants permanent restrictions that say Iran can “only enrich for nonmilitary purposes. Forever.”

Sanctions relief

Under the JCPOA, in exchange for Iran agreeing to limits on its nuclear program, it was granted relief from international sanctions. The sanctions relief was phased in and dependent upon verification from the IAEA, and both the JCPOA and the United Nations Security Council set a schedule for lifting sanctions.

Under the memorandum, U.S. sanctions will be lifted on an agreed-upon schedule as part of a final deal, not so different from the JCPOA.

One key difference is that several other countries involved in sanctioning Iran were parties to the JCPOA, including China, Russia, the U.K. and Germany. The new memorandum is a bilateral deal between the U.S. and Iran, so it’s unclear how third-party countries that also have sanctions on Iran will react.

But the memorandum of understanding gives Iran immediate waivers for oil and petroleum exports, according to the text as read by U.S. senior officials.

Nikki Haley, the president’s former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, balked at the possibility of Iran profiting from oil sales immediately.

“If this is true, Iran wins,” she wrote on X. “There should be zero sanctions relief day one.”

Iran has claimed in recent days that the deal would also lead to the immediate unfreezing of billions of dollars in Iranian assets that were frozen under U.S. sanctions. The Trump administration has denied this, saying Iran will only get sanctions relief after it complies with its obligations.

Funding for Iran

The Iran memorandum says the U.S. and regional partners will “develop a definitive mutually agreed plan with at least USD $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” with a mechanism for implementation to be discussed later.

The president, however, insists that any investments in Iran would be voluntary.

“We are not investing any money in Iran, by the way,” the president said at the G7 summit in France. “The rumor got out there yesterday, it was ridiculous. We have the right to go in some day and do, if I want to do something or if somebody wants to do something. But we are not investing any money, we have no obligation to invest any money in Iran.”

The JCPOA did not include funding for economic development.

In 2016, however, Iran did receive $1.7 billion in cash from the U.S. to settle a decades-old dispute. Before Iran’s 1979 revolution, the country paid the U.S. $400 million for arms purchases that were never delivered. Under former President Barack Obama, the U.S. returned that money, with interest amounting to roughly $1.3 billion.

Ballistic missiles

The JCPOA did not put limits on Iran’s conventional military, including its supply of ballistic missiles, something for which the deal was criticized.

The new memorandum doesn’t mention ballistic missiles, either. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump said he thinks it’s “okay” for Iran to have ballistic missiles in proportion to the stockpiles of neighboring countries.

“If other countries have them, it’s a little bit unfair for them not to have some,” he said. “A ballistic missile is not the same thing as what we’re talking about when we talk nuclear. But if Saudi Arabia and Qatar and they all have some, I would say in relative proportion, I think it’s okay. That’s what I mean.”

State-sponsored terrorism

Neither the JCPOA nor the latest Iran memorandum explicitly addresses consequences for funding terrorism.

Mr. Trump told reporters Wednesday his administration will work on a “parallel effort” with Persian Gulf nations to address “non-nuclear issues,” like Iran’s conventional missiles and funding of terrorist proxies.

Iran’s funding of militant groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis — which the U.S. has designated as terrorist organizations — has long been a point of contention.

Under the JCPOA, terrorism-related sanctions the U.S. imposed on the Iranian regime remained in place, although critics suggested the sanctions relief the U.S. provided could free up cash for Iran to fund terrorism.

特朗普：若他国都有弹道导弹 伊朗没有并不公平

2026年6月18日 07:28 / 联合早报

特朗普：若他国都有弹道导弹 伊朗没有并不公平

特朗普星期三（6月17日）到法国巴黎附近的凡尔赛宫，出席美国独立250周年庆祝晚宴。 （路透社）

美国总统特朗普说，如果其他国家都有弹道导弹，伊朗没有弹道导弹是不公平的。

特朗普星期三（6月17日）在巴黎对记者说：“我的意思是，如果其他国家都有弹道导弹，那么伊朗没有弹道导弹就有点不公平。”

路透社引述他说：“如果沙特阿拉伯和卡塔尔都有，而且它们都有，我认为，相对来说，伊朗拥有弹道导弹是可以接受的。”

特朗普还说，在美国与伊朗达成协议，结束近四个月的地区冲突后，美国将在波斯湾地区“暂时”保留其军事力量。

‘Is Jay Clayton still a nominee?”: Sen. Warner has questions after Trump pushed to delay DNI confirmation

2026-06-17 4:50 PM EDT / CNN

By Pamela Brown, CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/17/politics/video/the-arena-mark-warner-trump-dni-pulte-clayton

“Is Jay Clayton still a nominee?”: Sen. Warner has questions after Trump pushed to delay DNI confirmation

The arena

Top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Mark Warner joins Pam Brown to discuss President Donald Trump’s push to delay confirmation of a new director of national intelligence.

5:35 • Source: CNN

Georgia GOP drops redistricting plan that would hurt Black representation

June 17, 2026 at 5:15 p.m. EDT / The Washington Post

Gov. Brian Kemp had called a special session so Republicans could secure one or more additional House seats in the 2028 elections. But lawmakers pulled the plug.

State Sen. Kenya Wicks and colleagues exult after it was announced that Georgia lawmakers will not redraw voter maps. (Alyssa Pointer/Reuters)

By Olivia George

Republican legislative leaders in Georgia announced Wednesday that they would not redraw the state’s political maps this month after Gov. Brian Kemp called them into a special session to do so — rebuffing, at least temporarily, pressure from President Donald Trump to redraw congressional districts to GOP advantage.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/06/17/georgia-republicans-say-no-redistricting-now/

Knicks accepted invitation to visit Trump at White House, owner James Dolan says

June 17, 2026 / 7:37 PM EDT / CBS News

The New York Knicks are planning to visit the White House, owner James Dolan said Wednesday, marking a first for an NBA Finals winner during President Trump’s time in office.

“We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted. We still have to figure out the details, et cetera,” Dolan said in an interview on sports-talk radio station WFAN. “Look, I invited the president to come down for the game. He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”

The White House has not released any information about the timing of a potential visit by the Knicks. CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment.

It’s also not clear which Knicks players are planning to travel to the White House, or whether any will choose to stay home.

A longtime Knicks fan and a personal friend of Dolan, the president traveled to Madison Square Garden to attend Game 3 of the Finals last week. The Knicks lost that game to the San Antonio Spurs — their only loss in the series — but won the following two, clinching the Larry O’Brien Trophy in San Antonio over the weekend. It was the Knicks’ first NBA championship in more than a half-century.

Mr. Trump praised the Knicks, Dolan and “superstar” point guard Jalen Brunson in a Truth Social post shortly after their title win, calling it “maybe the greatest in the history of basketball.”

President Trump and New York Knicks owner James Dolan look on during the first quarter of the Knicks’ third NBA Finals game against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden on June 8. Al Bello / Getty Images

The Knicks are set to be the first NBA Finals winners to visit the Trump White House. Last year’s championship Oklahoma City Thunder did not visit due to a “timing” issue.

During his first term in office, Mr. Trump uninvited the Finals-winning Golden State Warriors in 2017 because star Steph Curry was “hesitating” at taking the president up on the “great honor,” and he didn’t extend an invitation when the Warriors won again the following year.

The 2019 Finals were won by the Canada-based Toronto Raptors, and the 2020 Finals — won by the Los Angeles Lakers — were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Mr. Trump had also previously said he wouldn’t invite Lakers superstar LeBron James.)

Championship-winning teams from other sports have stopped by the White House, including the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles last year.

美官员：美国与伊朗远程签署谅解备忘录 目前已生效

2026年6月18日 07:44 / 联合早报

美国官员说，美国总统特朗普和伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬已经签署旨在结束伊朗战争的谅解备忘录。 （路透社）

一名美国官员告诉路透社，美国总统特朗普和伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬已经签署了一份旨在结束伊朗战争的谅解备忘录。

这名官员说，备忘录已于星期天（6月14日）由副总统万斯和伊朗首席谈判代表卡利巴夫以电子方式签署，并由特朗普见证。

新华社引述美国哥伦比亚广播公司的报道说，美国和伊朗已远程签署谅解备忘录，这份谅解备忘录现已“生效”。

报道说，目前尚不清楚原定于19日在瑞士举行的签署仪式是否仍将按计划进行。当天早些时候，一名美国政府高级官员向媒体宣读了美国同伊朗达成的谅解备忘录正式文本。

另据美国阿克西奥斯新闻网站17日报道，在法国出席七国集团峰会的特朗普，当天在凡尔赛宫与法国总统马克龙共进晚宴时签署了该文件。

报道还提到，伊朗外交部说，伊美双方已同意谅解备忘录由两国元首以电子方式签署。

此前，美国政府一名高级官员15日说，特朗普和美国副总统万斯、伊朗伊斯兰议会议长卡利巴夫已以电子方式签署了美伊谅解备忘录。

Trump recalls Netanyahu’s failed push to kill Obama Iran deal, says he finished the job

June 17, 2026 1:27pm EDT / Fox News

The president argues his memorandum of understanding is structured to permanently block Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon

By Ashley J. DiMella Fox News

President Donald Trump held a press conference on the sidelines of the G7 to discuss his Memorandum of Understanding with Iran.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

President Donald Trump on Wednesday forcefully rejected comparisons between the announced Iran agreement and former President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal, arguing the Obama-era pact could have led to Israel and much of the Middle East being “terminated” if he had not ended it.

“The JCPOA was a short-term lease. It expired long ago,” Trump told reporters during a press conference on the sidelines of the G7 summit. “Had I let it run, it expired. You wouldn’t have been around. A lot of people wouldn’t have been around, but Israel would have been terminated. I think the whole Middle East would have been terminated.”

Trump added that he finished the job of terminating the Obama nuclear deal after failed attempts from Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.

“Bibi actually went to Congress and pleaded with them, and he got nowhere. And they had this horrible deal that was horrible for Israel, horrible for Israel. And that’s where it stood. And then I came along and I terminated that deal that had very little time left,” said Trump.

VANCE REVEALS TRUMP LESSON GUIDING IRAN DEAL STRATEGY AS TEHRAN FACES 60-DAY DEADLINE

resident Donald Trump (C) gestures as he addresses the media alongside United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (L), US Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick (2L), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2R) and US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent (R) during a closing press conference at the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France(Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

Trump added that Netanyahu “begged Barack Hussein Obama, the president, not to do the JCPOA. He said it could be the end of Israel, and it would have been if I didn’t come along. And Obama didn’t listen to him.”

The president said the agreement is fundamentally different from the JCPOA, arguing it is structured to permanently block Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon rather than temporarily limit its nuclear activities before key restrictions sunset. Trump’s remarks came prior to the release of the newly announced memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran.

“I made it very tough for Iran when I terminated the Barack Hussein Obama catastrophe JCPOA, one of the worst deals,” Trump said. “This deal was really dangerous. What he did, he gave them everything, including a lot of money, which we don’t give them.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a bilateral meeting with the United Arab Emirates’ president at the G7 summit in Evian, France, on June 16, 2026.(Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

TRUMP UNLEASHES ON OBAMA’S ‘DISASTER’ IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL, SAYS HE WAS ‘HONORED’ TO RIP IT APART

The MOU has drawn comparisons to the JCPOA, as both agreements offer Iran the prospect of sanctions relief and increased foreign investment in exchange for complying with their respective commitments.

Obama argued this week that any new agreement with Iran is unlikely to look dramatically different from the 2015 JCPOA.

“I made it very tough for [Iran] when I terminated the Barack Hussein Obama catastrophe JCPOA, one of the worst deals,” said Trump.(Al Drago/Bloomberg)

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The benefits will depend on whether Iran can prove it has abandoned its nuclear ambitions and support for terrorist organizations during a 60-day negotiating period.

Ashley J. DiMella reports on politics for Fox News Digital.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6398678093112

Trump administration unveils sweeping terms of proposed Iran agreement

June 17, 2026 1:20pm EDT / Fox News

Officials say the oil export waivers are the only major benefit Iran receives before a final agreement is reached

By Morgan Phillips, Fox News

President Donald Trump says that no president has been tougher on Iran than him, stating Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

The Trump administration on Tuesday publicly outlined the contents of its new memorandum of understanding with Iran, revealing plans for immediate waivers on Iranian oil exports, a framework for at least $300 billion in reconstruction and economic development, and a 60-day negotiation period aimed at securing a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.

During a call with reporters, senior U.S. officials read portions of the agreement and defended controversial provisions that would allow Iranian crude oil exports to resume immediately while broader negotiations continue.

“The U.S. Department of Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives and all associated services including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc,” the agreement states, according to officials.

Officials declined to provide the written text of the agreement.

SCOTT BESSENT CALLS OUT ‘TERRIBLE FRAMING’ DURING CLASH WITH NBC NEWS HOST ON IRANIAN OIL

An official emphasized the oil waivers are the only major benefit Iran will receive before a final agreement is reached, arguing the move would increase transparency into Iranian oil sales while helping reduce global energy prices.

But the administration’s willingness to grant immediate oil export waivers comes despite officials’ own skepticism about Iran’s intentions.

While defending the agreement, one senior U.S. official said negotiators entered talks with “the full expectation that they will lie and they will cheat,” arguing that any final agreement would require extensive monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.

Officials said on Monday that Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf signed the agreement digitally Sunday, but a formal signing ceremony is planned for Friday. Negotiations over a final agreement will begin over the weekend after the memorandum deal is signed Friday.

The Trump administration on Tuesday publicly outlined the contents of its new memorandum of understanding with Iran.(Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

In negotiations aimed at a final agreement, the memorandum also calls for the U.S. and regional partners to develop a plan worth at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of Iran. Officials stressed the provision does not commit the U.S. to providing the funds, arguing instead that it would permit outside investment if a final deal is reached and Iran complies with its obligations.

While the agreement guarantees toll-free commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz during the 60-day negotiating period, it leaves longer-term arrangements to future talks between Iran, Oman and other Gulf states.

A senior U.S. official maintained that regional partners would not support any framework that allowed Iran to charge tolls for passage along the waterway.

During the 60-day negotiation period, the U.S. will not impose any new sanctions or deploy any new troops, per the agreement.

“The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal,” the document reads, according to officials.

VANCE REVEALS TRUMP LESSON GUIDING IRAN DEAL STRATEGY AS TEHRAN FACES 60-DAY DEADLINE

The agreement stops short of resolving the central dispute over Iran’s nuclear program. Instead, it commits both sides to negotiate the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and future enrichment activities as part of a final agreement.

Officials said the minimum outcome would involve down-blending enriched material under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision but acknowledged that key details remain unresolved.

Administration officials described the provision both as a significant concession that Iran offered to dilute its stockpile of nearly 900 pounds of near weapons-grade 60% enriched uranium and as a “flaw” that the nuclear specifics of the deal are not yet resolved.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly signed the agreement virtually on Sunday, with a signing ceremony planned for Friday.(Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)

“Of course that’s a flaw, and we will push for more than that. But the fact that they’re conceding to that is a major, major win for the United States of America. They’re saying we will destroy the enriched stockpile, and this is how we’re going to do it at a minimum,” one senior U.S. official said.

The memorandum also envisions the eventual termination of United Nations sanctions, primary U.S. sanctions and secondary sanctions as part of a final agreement. Officials argued that broader sanctions relief remains contingent on Iranian compliance with future nuclear commitments, pushing back on criticism that Tehran would receive major economic benefits without making concessions.

Despite defending the framework agreement, administration officials repeatedly emphasized that they remain skeptical of Iran’s intentions and said any final deal would require extensive verification and enforcement measures.

Later in the call, another official said the administration would quickly abandon negotiations if it concluded Iran was “just dragging us along and kind of bulls**ting us.”

The MOU lifts the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.(U.S. Central Command)

Officials said the provision meant that American forces would return to their posture levels prior to Operation Epic Fury.

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Despite the agreement being announced Sunday, officials waited until Wednesday to reveal the text at Iran’s request, according to officials.

“We were trying to accommodate their domestic messaging and their domestic politics,” an official said.

Asked whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been provided the agreement, the official said Netanyahu “has not asked us for a copy of it,” while maintaining that Israeli officials had been repeatedly briefed on the substance of the negotiations.

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