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U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out Thursday at the critics of his agreement with Iran, calling those who said he had not been "tough enough" either "jealous, bad people, or stupid," as U.S. media and members of Congress from both parties condemned the deal as a major concession to Tehran.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "These fools, who think I haven't been tough enough on Iran, when the Stock Market Just Hit A RECORD HIGH, and Oil prices are 'tumbling' down, are either jealous, bad people, or stupid. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! President DJT"
The outburst came as Trump returned to the United States after signing the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a candlelit dinner outside Paris on Wednesday. The 14-article agreement aims at ending the war in the Middle East.
American media outlets across the political spectrum condemned the deal's terms as failing to meet the administration's stated pre-war objectives.
MS NOW was among the harshest.
"The White House agreed to this ceasefire extension that met none of its prewar objectives while providing enormous financial concessions to Tehran," it said, adding, "Quite simply, Trump got played by the Iranians, and no one is buying his spin job."
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) described the agreement as "widely seen as the biggest foreign-policy bet of the president's second term" and noted that Trump "will face resistance from Iran policy hawks who say the president is giving up far more than he is getting."
The paper also reported that Trump signed the agreement a second time on Wednesday night, surprising some of his aides and derailing plans for a formal signing ceremony later this week.
The New York Times (NYT) said Iran could emerge from the conflict with "much to celebrate," noting the agreement "read nothing like a surrender document."
The Times said Iran "proved they can use economic chaos as a weapon" and warned that Tehran could be closer than ever to pursuing a nuclear weapon.
"For more than two decades Iran walked right up to the edge of building a nuclear bomb, but never stepped over the line," the Times said.
"When Iran's leaders begin to clear the rubble left by the 40 days of bombing, and think about how to spend the billions in oil revenue that will soon resume, they may well question whether they had the right nuclear strategy," the NYT wrote.
Fox News, typically supportive of Trump, cited critics who said the deal gave Iran "huge financial benefits" without requiring the dismantlement of its nuclear program. "Despite the administration portraying the agreement as a breakthrough, critics have argued that the concessions offered to Iran far outweigh the commitments secured in return," Fox said.
British broadcaster Piers Morgan, quoted by Fox, called the deal "about as far removed from unconditional surrender as any deal in the history of Planet Earth."
National Public Radio (NPR) stressed the human toll of the war, which it said "pitted the world's most powerful military against a far weaker, yet strategically adept, adversary."
Congressional criticism came from both sides of the aisle following the leak of the agreement's 14-article text.
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana wrote on X that former President Ronald Reagan "rolled over in his grave," saying Iran's nuclear ambitions had not been checked and that Tehran had now learned that threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz "works, and will undoubtedly use it in the future."
Cassidy noted that before U.S. attacks on Iran, the strait had been open and Iran was under sanctions. "Now 13 American soldiers are dead, families paid billions for gas, sanctions are lifted, and the bombing stopped," he said.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas told the Daily Wire the agreement was "problematic" in its current form. "History teaches us that giving billions of dollars to theocratic maniacs who want to kill us is a bad idea," he said.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democratic leader Jeanne Shaheen described the text as "a complete capitulation," adding, "the devil is in the details."
Democratic House members Gregory Meeks, Adam Smith and Jim Himes sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying the Trump administration had "kept Congress and the American people in the dark about a war of choice for more than 15 weeks, which is itself evidence of strategic failure."
While welcoming the turn to diplomacy, they demanded the administration brief Congress on the memorandum's terms, any side agreements and its strategy for the 60-day ceasefire process.
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal said in a video posted on X: "The Strait of Hormuz will be open in 30 days, but guess what? It was already open before the war started. We are heading toward a worse position than where we began."
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