Secretary of State Marco Rubio shot back at Republican criticism of a possible deal with Iran as \u201cabsurd,\u201d adding that \u201cour preference is to address this through a diplomatic means.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe idea that somehow this president \u2014 given everything he\u2019s already proven he\u2019s willing to do \u2014 is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd,\u201d Rubio said at a press conference in India on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s just not going to happen. But our preference is to address this through a diplomatic means, and that\u2019s what we are endeavoring to do here. I think we\u2019ve made some progress. I\u2019m always cautious when I say that because you can agree to things on paper; they actually have to be implemented,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Saturday, President Trump said that a deal with Iran was \u201clargely negotiated\u201d and would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of a phone call with Arab allies in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFinal aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly,\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social. \u201cIn addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Multiple Republicans have raised concerns about a reported peace deal, saying it would be a disaster for Washington. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) claimed that a premature deal could practically swing the balance of power in the region toward Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf a deal is struck to end the Iranian conflict because it is believed that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be protected from Iranian terrorism and Iran still possesses the capability to destroy major Gulf oil infrastructure, then Iran will be perceived as being a dominate force requiring a diplomatic solution,\u201d Graham wrote Saturday in a post on social platform X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote that he was \u201cdeeply concerned about what we are hearing about an Iran \u2018deal,\u2019 being pushed by some voices in the administration\u201d in a Saturday social media post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s decision to strike Iran was the most consequential decision of his second term. He was right to do so, and we achieved extraordinary military results\u2014including destroying all of their missiles & drones and sinking their entire navy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime\u2014still run by Islamists who chant \u2018death to America\u2019\u2014now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also seemed to be cautious about the emerging deal, likening it to one that would have been negotiated by Obama-era officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe deal being floated with Iran seems straight out of the Wendy Sherman-Robert Malley-Ben Rhodes playbook: Pay the IRGC to build a WMD program and terrorize the world,\u201d Pompeo said in a Saturday X post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n