GOP lawmakers praise Trump Iran deal but caution about path forward

Republicans are hailing President Trump’s two-week ceasefire deal with Iran, but many caution the temporary and fragile truce is only a first step and that the U.S. needs to do more to secure American interests and advance lasting peace.

Trump sent shock waves across the nation Tuesday when he announced a two-week suspension of hostilities after warning that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran didn’t cut a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. that night. The dramatic pivot quickly quelled fears among Republicans — some of whom had criticized his earlier threats — as they framed the ceasefire as a diplomatic win for the U.S.

Still, uncertainty surrounding the deal, including the impact of Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday, Iran’s reported closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and ongoing tensions between both sides, have left GOP lawmakers warning that Trump and negotiators will need to take considerable steps in the coming days to stabilize the situation.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) emphasized in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that the conflict is far from over.

“Here’s the concern. The government’s still in place, and we should be negotiating from a position of strength, not a position that’s good for them. But what worries me is, if they remain in place, and they hate us …  and when I say these people, the IRGC, the ayatollahs, the mullahs. They will work with Russia and China as soon as they can to start rebuilding their military. And they will be a threat five, six, seven, eight years down the road,” he said.

Questions emerged almost immediately about the strength of the ceasefire. Israel on Wednesday launched its most significant military campaign in Lebanon since it began fighting Tehran-backed Hezbollah militants, while the sides publicly disagreed on whether Lebanon was included in the ceasefire deal.

The U.S. Gulf allies of Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, reported Iranian attacks on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia reported intercepting nine Iranian drones. 

Iranian state media also reported Wednesday that Tehran closed down the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply passes, in response to Israel’s assault in Lebanon. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed those reports at her press briefing, accusing Iran of lying.

Iran had sent over a 10-point response to the U.S. aimed at ending the conflict, which Trump said Tuesday evening was a “workable basis on which to negotiate.” But the Iranian parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, accused the U.S. of violating three key clauses on the social platform X.

When asked if he thought there was a deal amid the Iranian attacks and the fact that its leaders are still in control of the strait, Bacon told CNN, “I am not sure there’s a deal. It — we’ll have to — that will bear out the next 24, 48 hours. But if they keep firing, we still have more targets that we can hit in Iran.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a top Iran hawk in Congress, wrote on X earlier Wednesday that “a diplomatic solution to end the reign of terror in Iran is the preferred outcome. The supposed negotiating document, in my view, has some troubling aspects, but time will tell.”

He also called for “a congressional review process like the one the Senate followed to test the Obama Iranian deal.”

“Fair and challenging questions with a full opportunity to explain, and a healthy dose of sunlight is generally the right formula to understand any matter,” he wrote.

Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.), an outspoken supporter of Israel, said he trusted Trump to “navigate us into a long-term, sustainable solution.”

“A two-week ceasefire is not an end. It is a pause to try to get to a solution,” he said.

Fine said the U.S.’s key objectives are to ensure the Iranian government “gives up the desire” to have nuclear weapons and halts efforts in “building the capability to deliver that nuclear weapon.”

“It’s a very tenuous time, and we will see how it shakes out. But I think the threat that President Trump made is a good one: Either heal or die. That is the choice that they will have,” Fine said.

“It’s not our job to be nation-building … and we haven’t done a good job of it when we’ve tried in the past. Our job is to be America First, which means protecting American interests and making sure Iran can’t nuke us. That’s about as America First as it gets,” he added.

Both Democrats and Republicans have called for congressional briefings on the operation. Democrats, in particular, have railed against Trump’s handling of the conflict, even aiming to bring measures to the floor that would limit Trump’s war powers.

House Democrats are aiming to pass such a resolution by unanimous consent during a pro forma session on Thursday, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the upper chamber will vote on an Iran war powers resolution next week.

“Our country is worse off because of Trump’s strategic ineptitude. Enough is enough. Pass the War Powers Resolution, end the war,” Schumer wrote on X.

But Republicans expressed optimism that there will be brighter days ahead, emphasizing that several U.S. objectives in the conflict have already been met.

“I think it’s very important to realize that this president — his strength is in negotiations, and if you underestimate him, that’s at your own peril. He is very good at winning, maybe the best ever that we’ve had at winning,” Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.) said. 

“There’s been a nice collective effort to all the Middle Eastern countries [that] have come together and have been enduring this battle at the same time, standing by the United States through the end. So I really think, you know, Iran is outnumbered in this, and I do think, you know, brighter days, safer days, more prosperous days are ahead of us,” he added.

Bacon told The Hill that “our best end state is a government friendly to [the] U.S., respects its people and backs away from nuclear program.”

“If that cannot be done, we’ve at least degraded Iran’s capabilities for years to come,” he said.

Filip Timotija, Julia Manchester and Mallory Wilson contributed to this report.

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