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One of the Iran war’s strongest backers in the Senate said there were “troubling aspects” to the ceasefire deal announced hours ahead of President Donald Trump’s deadline.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has long supported going after the Iranian regime and gave a full-throated endorsement of Trump’s military action in the region when it began. For now, the conflict has paused after both sides agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
Graham said a “diplomatic solution” is the preferred outcome, but he is not sold on the ceasefire deal brokered Tuesday night.
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“The supposed negotiating document, in my view, has some troubling aspects, but time will tell,” Graham said on X Wednesday.
Graham also is calling on Vice President JD Vance and other administration officials to explain the deal to Congress. The request echoes demands by congressional Democrats for Trump officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, to testify about the war before Congress.
“I look forward to the architects of this proposal, the vice president and others, coming before Congress and explaining how a negotiated deal meets our national security objectives in Iran,” Graham said.
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Whether administration officials will come to Capitol Hill to break down the deal remains unclear. A spokesperson for Vance referred Fox News Digital to the White House for comment.
White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital that Trump has “been transparent with the Hill since before Operation Epic Fury began, and administration officials provided more than 20 bipartisan briefings for members of Congress to keep them apprised of military updates.”
“As the president said, many points have already been agreed to during the diplomatic process, and we are far along on a definitive agreement to deliver long-term peace in Iran and across the region,” Kelly said in a statement.
Vance, along with Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are set to negotiate in-person in Islamabad for a broader peace agreement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.
DEMOCRATS THREATEN TO GRIND SENATE TO A HALT TO FORCE PUBLIC IRAN HEARINGS
“The first round of those talks will take place on Saturday morning local time, and we know we look forward to those in-person meetings,” Leavitt said.
For now, Trump’s threat to bomb bridges and power plants in Iran is on hold while the broader peace agreement is negotiated.
Iran publicly presented a 10-point plan to end hostilities that includes repayment for war damage, the ability to continue enriching uranium, full control of the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to all sanctions against the country, among other demands, in exchange for an agreement not to develop a nuclear weapon.
Graham argued Iran should not be allowed to “save face” by maintaining even a small nuclear enrichment program. He said the only outcome he supports is “a deal that will stop their maniacal drive to a nuclear weapon, among other things.”
Trump has already criticized that proposal on Truth Social.
“There is only one group of meaningful ‘POINTS’ that are acceptable to the United States, and we will be discussing them behind closed doors during these negotiations,” Trump said. “These are the POINTS that are the basis on which we agreed to a CEASEFIRE.”
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