A number of influential Republican party congresspeople warn U.S. President Donald Trump against concluding a peace agreement with Iran in haste, fearing that its terms may be unfavorable for Washington, the Politico newspaper reported.
"President Donald Trump’s push for an Iran peace deal faces opposition from a surprising quarter: Republican hawks who fear the White House will strike a bad deal," the article says.
Top Republicans warned that a hasty deal could leave Iran with the tools to still threaten the region and choke off commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
"Major sticking points would include the future of Iran’s nuclear program, including its stock of highly enriched uranium, and clearing the way for maritime transit of the strait," Politico said.
Several top Republicans are pushing the administration to abandon talks and keep the pressure on Iran. Among them are Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker, who earlier urged to resume bombings of Iran. In turn, Senator Thom Tillis said the US administration has "a lot of things that need to be explained" regarding the potential agreement with Iran.
The U.S. and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. On April 7, Trump announced a "double-sided" two-week ceasefire with Iran. On April 11, the parties held several rounds of talks in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
On April 21, the U.S. president announced plans to extend the ceasefire with Iran. On May 19, Trump said the U.S. was ready to postpone military operations until the beginning of next week.
On May 23, the U.S. leader stated that an agreement had been largely negotiated, but he said the following day that the sides had not yet reached final agreements on several issues.
