GOP Senate chair stuns with analysis: Trump deal is worse than Obama’s

Punch Bowl News senior congressional reporter Andrew Desiderio posted on Thursday that the Senate chairman of the Armed Services Committee is not happy with President Donald Trump's Iran deal.

Trump signed a "memorandum of understanding" while in France for the G7 that outlined the 14-point framework for ending Trump's war.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) released a statement making it clear he doesn't like the $300 billion fund that he said “would make Iran’s payoff under President Obama’s 2015 deal look like a pittance by comparison."

The conditions for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action included the U.S. unfreezing $50 billion in Iranian assets that had been frozen.

Wicker goes on to imply that those helping negotiate the deal, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff and Vice President JD Vance could be undermining the president with their insistence that Trump move forward with the MOU.

"Since day one, I have supported President Trump's efforts to end Iran's 47-year threat to the United States and our partners. I am concerned that the memorandum of understanding negotiates away the victories of Operation Epic Fury in ways that are completely out of step with the president's goals," Wicker said in a statement.

"Specifically, the $300 billion fund for the reconstruction and economic development of Iran — though not funded by U.S. taxpayers — would make Iran's payoff under President Obama's 2015 deal look like a pittance by comparison. I believe it would be an error to force Israel to stand down against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization that continues to attack Israel on its northern border," he continued.

The huge chunk of funds, he fears, will also continue to fund Iran's terrorism.

"I also oppose the U.S. lifting any sanctions on Iran, or unfreezing Iranian funds, in exchange for Iran's mere agreement to negotiate for another 60 days. The Iranian regime has not renounced its ultimate goal — 'Death to America, Death to Israel.' The regime will invest every penny it receives to further that aim. President Trump has pursued peace through strength. I hope the intermediaries working on this deal are not undermining that objective," Wicker closed.

Wicker wasn't a fan of the past deal that Trump proposed at the end of May.

“The rumored 60-day ceasefire — with the belief that Iran will ever engage in good faith — would be a disaster. Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught,” tweeted Wicker.

As the Mississippi Free Press reported at the time, it's rare for Wicker to criticize Trump. In that case, too, Wicker was fearful that Trump was being "ill-advised."

“His instincts have been to finish the job he started in Iran, but he is being ill advised to pursue a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on,” Wicker also tweeted. “Our commander-in-chief needs to allow America’s skilled armed forces to finish the destruction of Iran’s conventional military capabilities and reopen the strait. Further pursuit of an agreement with Iran’s Islamist regime risks a perception of weakness. We must finish what we started. It is past time for action.”