Trump Faces Backlash Over Iran Peace Deal

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Iran-US war latest: Trump faces backlash over his unpopular peace deal with Tehran

The US president told the G7 that he would ‘go back to bombing’ if a full agreement was not struck within 60 days

Donald Trump is already facing criticism from his Republican base over plans to end the war with Iran after releasing details of the interim 14-point agreement signed on Wednesday.

The president inked the early-stage deal during his tour of the Versailles Palace in France after threatening to resume attacks and kill Iranian officials if they failed to honour their commitments.

The terms included stopping the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but also controversially outlined the financing of Iran’s recovery, sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds.

Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy was among Republicans critical of the deal, saying on Wednesday that “Reagan is rolling over in his grave” and describing the MoU as “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.

Mike Pence, who was Trump’s vice president during his first term, acknowledged the Memorandum of Understanding “does smack of the kind of appeasement that our administration rejected in the Obama-Iran nuclear deal”.

Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, boasted meanwhile that “everything we sought to achieve through military action, we obtained several times over through negotiation”, adding “it was not even comparable”.

‘I’m blaming JD’: Trump jokes at Vance’s expense on what happens if Iran deal doesn’t work out

President Donald Trump on Wednesday touted what he called a “historic” agreement with Iran while joking that if the deal falters he will pin the blame on Vice President J.D. Vance.

Speaking at a press conference at the end of the G7 summit in France, Trump defended the memorandum of understanding with Tehran, saying it would end the current conflict, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and “prevent Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

But when asked why he wouldn’t stick around Europe for a signing ceremony set for Friday in Switzerland, the president quipped that he was letting the vice president go in his stead in case the deal goes south.

Trump jokes at Vance’s expense that if Iran deal doesn’t work out: ‘I’m blaming JD’

Trump quips that he’ll let veep shoulder blame if tentative agreement to reopen Strait of Hormuz falters

James Reynolds18 June 2026 09:30

Hegseth attacks European allies over Iran commitments

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is attending a meeting of Nato defence ministers at the alliance HQ in Belgium.

He says that too many Nato allies failed to support the US on its war in Iran, branding it “shameful” that they were denied access to airbases.

He says the Pentagon will launch a six month review of US troop posture in Europe - a ‘real review’ to ensure Nato is moving fast and irreversibly towards Europe leading the alliance.

The US cannot pay more for Nato’s defence than allies do, he adds.

James Reynolds18 June 2026 08:57

Trump grilled Murdoch on whether he preferred Vance or Rubio - as they were all sat together, report says

During an October dinner, President Donald Trump reportedly polled media mogul Rupert Murdoch to get his thoughts on the question flying through Washington ahead of the 2028 presidential election: Who do you like more, Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio?

The two men sat awkwardly nearby as Murdoch responded, according to an excerpt obtained by Axios from the forthcoming book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.

Murdoch, who reportedly tried to talk Trump out of choosing Vance in 2024, allegedly responded that Vance “has the potential to be great,” while Rubio “is brilliant.”

Read the full story:

Trump grilled Murdoch on if he liked Vance or Rubio as they sat together: report

Polls show Vance remains the 2028 GOP frontrunner, though Murdoch reportedly had more praise for Rubio

James Reynolds18 June 2026 08:50

Analysis: Why Trump’s Iran deal is little more than a shopping list of capitulations

There are gaping holes in the 14-point US deal with Iran in which some of the trickiest sticking points have not been addressed, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew:

Why Trump’s Iran deal is little more than a shopping list of capitulations

There are gaping holes in the 14-point US deal with Iran in which some of the trickiest sticking points have not been addressed, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew

James Reynolds18 June 2026 08:23

Trump's former VP says Iran deal 'smacks of appeasement'

Mike Pence, who was Trump’s vice president during his first term, acknowledged the Memorandum of Understanding “does smack of the kind of appeasement that our administration rejected in the Obama-Iran nuclear deal”.

“I would urge the President to take a step back, continue the blockade and pursue a negotiated settlement that commits Iran to dismantling their nuclear program, dismantling this missile program, ends support for terrorist proxies and opens the strait.

“Failing that, we should let our Armed Forces finish the job on our terms,” he wrote on social media.

James Reynolds18 June 2026 08:22

German growth hit by Iran war energy shock, IMK says

Germany's economy will grow less than previously expected this year and next as the Iran war and a resulting energy price shock weigh on consumption and investment, the IMK economic institute said on Thursday.

The Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK) forecast gross domestic product would expand by 0.6% in 2026 and 0.9% in 2027, cutting its March projections by 0.3 and 0.7 percentage points respectively.

IMK said the outlook assumed the conflict would not escalate further, energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz would normalise later this year and oil and gas infrastructure in Gulf states would not suffer substantial additional damage.

Inflation is expected to average 2.8% in 2026, higher than previously assumed, before easing to 2.3% in 2027.

Reuters18 June 2026 08:15

US and Iran still expected in Switzerland on Friday

The Swiss government says the plan at present is still for the US and Iran, along with Pakistan, Qatar and other involved countries, to meet at Burgenstock on Friday for initial talks on implementing the peace agreement.

James Reynolds18 June 2026 07:45

Germany deploys ship to Red Sea for possible Hormuz mission

Germany is deploying two ships to the Red Sea in preparation for a possible military mission in the Strait of Hormuz, Germany's Defence minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday.

"As we speak, our minesweeper Fulda and the supply ship Mosel are sailing through the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea," he told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with his NATO counterparts in Brussels.

Pistorius said approval would be needed from Iran and Oman before any participation in a minesweeping operation, and added any mission would also depend on the developments in further talks between Iran and the United States.

James Reynolds18 June 2026 07:15

Catch up: Read Trump’s 14 point Iran peace deal in full after US announces signing of agreement

Nearly four months after the U.S. started its war with Iran, Donald Trump has signed a long-awaited deal to end the war, restore global shipping and resolve an abiding dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Details of a 14 point plan were previously released by US officials, with an official signing ceremony expected to take place in Switzerland on Friday. However, it emerged on Wednesday evening that it had already been signed by the US president and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said any further Israeli attacks on Lebanon would be considered a breach of the terms of the deal. With Israel having continued its strikes on the country’s south, there remain concerns the deal could still fall apart.

Read Trump’s 14 point Iran peace deal in full after US announces signing of agreement

Trump has said he will resume bombing after 60 days if talks on Iran’s nuclear programme do not progress

James Reynolds18 June 2026 07:12

Vance argues Iran is not a quagmire like the Iraq war

In interviews this week, JD Vance has sought to speak directly to the skeptics in his party, a preview of the difficult explanations he may be pressed to make as a candidate on the war.

On Megyn Kelly's show, the vice president said the critics “believe Iranian propaganda” about the deal. But he acknowledged some of the frustrations on the hawkish right while trying to reassure the anti-interventionists that the Iran conflict isn't the war in Iraq, where he served as a Marine.

“We were never going to get the quagmire that a lot of people were worrying about because Donald Trump is just not George W Bush,” he said.

Democrats have stressed that even as Vance becomes the face of the Iran deal, the fate of any administration official who harbors presidential aspirations — particularly hawkish Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has largely been quiet in the agreement's final phases — will be tied to its outcome.

“I think any member of this administration is going to rise or fall on the basis of the Iran war and the handling of the economy, and I don’t think there are exceptions,” said Senator Brian Schatz.

Namita Singh18 June 2026 06:59