‘Policy blunder’ or ‘pathway to peace’: Republicans divided over Iran deal

(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump signed the temporary peace deal with Iran ahead of schedule Wednesday at the Palace of Versailles in France, kicking off negotiations over a final nuclear deal.

But while the White House is framing the 60-day “Memorandum of Understanding” as a win, multiple Republican defense hawks in Congress worry that Iran is receiving the better end of the bargain.

Under the agreement, the U.S. and Iran will immediately halt military hostilities and the Strait of Hormuz will completely reopen without tolls, effectively returning the critical trade route to pre-conflict conditions.

The U.S. will also immediately unfreeze all of Iran’s restricted assets and issue waivers for Iranian exports of crude oil, petroleum “and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.”

In exchange for Iran reaffirming that “it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons” and committing to negotiating over the disposal of its enriched uranium, the U.S. will lift all sanctions on the country as ...