"What's in the Peace Agreement? We Don't Know Either": US Senate Republicans Kept in the Dark

US Senate Republicans are demanding the disclosure of details and a congressional review of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war that the Donald Trump administration plans to sign with Iran.

According to Bloomberg News, Republican senators, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota), expressed frustration on Tuesday (local time) over not knowing the specific details of the MOU.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), when asked by reporters for his thoughts on the MOU on Tuesday, said, "We have to see the details."

He added that if a final agreement is reached in the full-scale negotiations following the MOU, Congress should vote on it.

According to the Associated Press, Thune told reporters, "I don't really know what's in it," while Senator Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) remarked, "If it's a secret agreement, how can I take it seriously?"

According to political media outlet The Hill, when asked if he was trying to obtain the full text of the MOU, Thune replied, "We're trying to get it."

"Since I've been in this job, we haven't had this issue," Thune said, acknowledging that the current situation—where the administration has not sufficiently shared the details of a major international agreement even with the leadership of the ruling party—is unusual. He added that Republican senators have requested a briefing from the administration.

He noted that while the administration has not yet notified them of a briefing schedule, he speculated it could happen within this week.

Thune said he had spoken with Vice President JD Vance "a couple of days ago" about the ceasefire negotiations with Iran, but did not hear about the substantive details of the agreement.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) said of the MOU, "If you listen to the Iranians, it sounds terrible. If you listen to our side, it makes sense. Let's look at it and see what it actually is."

Vice President Vance described the MOU as a "very general document" in an interview with CNN on Monday, explaining that "how we handle various issues will have to be discussed during the technical negotiation phase." In an interview with NBC News on the same day, he said the MOU is about a page and a half long and clearly includes a provision allowing Iran to permit the return of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.

President Trump, when asked at a side event of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday whether he would send the agreement to Congress, said, "I haven't thought about that, but I will. I'll send it to Congress."

He added, "I like that idea. Who wouldn't approve it?"

Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act passed in 2015, the administration must submit any agreement regarding Iran's nuclear program to Congress for review.

If Congress opposes, it can pursue a resolution to block the president from modifying sanctions on Iran, though the president can veto such a resolution.

Meanwhile, a resolution introduced by Democrats to limit war powers against Iran failed to pass on Tuesday, being rejected in a procedural Senate vote with 47 in favor and 48 against.

Most of the 53 Republican senators voted against it, but four—Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Rand Paul (R-Kentucky)—voted in favor, while two—Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Josh Hawley (R-Missouri)—did not participate in the vote.

The failed resolution, in accordance with the War Powers Act, contained provisions to prevent President Donald Trump from continuing to deploy U.S. military forces into hostilities against Iran without congressional approval.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.