Trump Hits Back at Critics of Iran Deal, Declares Iran 'Finished'

Washington, DC – U.S. President Donald Trump has attacked critics of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Washington and Tehran to end the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran.

The remarks on Friday (June 19) continued his efforts to defend the deal ending the conflict that Washington and Jerusalem initiated on February 28, just one day after Vice President JD Vance canceled a planned trip to Switzerland to begin negotiations on outstanding issues outlined in the MOU.

The delay raised questions about the durability of the accord, only a day after both sides signed it, as Israeli fighting in Lebanon threatens to derail the diplomatic breakthrough.

In a series of posts on Truth Social on Friday, Trump insisted that he had strengthened Washington’s position in the region while rejecting criticism from Democrats and a handful of Republican lawmakers that the MOU merely addresses problems created by the war itself.

Those conditions include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, and ceasing hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

“The war has weakened Iran!” Trump said, referring to U.S. strikes that degraded Iran’s navy, air force, and traditional military capabilities.

He added that Democrats are saying “Iran is better off now than four months ago. Can you believe that??? How stupid can some people be???”

In a second post, Trump asserted that Iran, not the United States, entered negotiations out of “desperation,” adding, “They are FINISHED!”

“We will do it in 60 days,” he said, referring to the negotiating window of the MOU, during which Iran’s nuclear program, future governance of the Strait of Hormuz, release of Iran’s frozen assets, removal of all sanctions on Iran, and the development of a $300 billion reconstruction plan for Iran are expected to be discussed.

Trump claims Iran 'unconditionally surrendered'

Trump also gave a television interview to Axios News on Thursday in which he suggested Iran’s signing of the MOU “is probably an unconditional surrender.”

He added that he learned from the war, which was not authorized by the U.S. Congress, that there are “no limits” on his power.

He also criticized a handful of Iran-hawk Republican lawmakers who have faulted the MOU. Among them was Senator Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who criticized the immediate lifting of U.S. sanctions on Iran’s fossil fuel industry as “a step in the wrong direction.”

Senator Roger Wicker also criticized both the $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran, which Trump stressed would not be paid for by U.S. taxpayers, and the commitment to cease fighting in Lebanon.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei again said Tehran holds the United States responsible for the attacks in Lebanon, as Israel said it had struck more than 150 targets since midnight.

Shortly after, a U.S. official, two Hezbollah sources, and an Israeli official told Reuters that a new ceasefire had been agreed to in Lebanon.

A day earlier, Vice President JD Vance made a rare public criticism of Israel during the ongoing military campaign, warning Israeli officials not to strike “the only powerful ally they have left in the world.”

In the Axios interview, Trump stressed that his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “good, but we have to keep him a little sane.”