Trump faced pointed criticism over the Iran war in a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans on Wednesday, shortly before his administration asked Congress for tens of billions of dollars to fund the conflict.
Several Republicans said Trump engaged in a shouting match with Senator Bill Cassidy, who said the administration needed to explain a framework deal that gives Iran financial incentives but falls short of Trump’s stated war goals. “The American people need to know more than we are being told,” Cassidy told reporters. “It does not appear… that the course of this is going the way that we were told.”
Later, Senate Republican leaders scheduled a late-night vote to block a resolution calling for an end to hostilities with Iran. The Senate voted 50-47, largely along party lines, blocking a war powers resolution that had advanced on a procedural vote in May. “This vote puts Iran on notice,” Trump said on social media, although it does not affect the earlier vote.
Iran War Weighs On Trump’s Republicans
The exchange shows how the war has weighed on Trump ahead of November elections that will decide control of Congress. With his approval rating at its lowest since returning to office, just one in four Americans believes the war was worth its costs, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed. The exchange came a day after the Senate voted to direct Trump to end the war, in a separate resolution passed by the House this month, which Cassidy was one of four Republicans to back, alongside Democrats.
Trump did not mention the Cassidy exchange; Cassidy was unseated by a Trump-backed challenger in a primary this year. Trump later criticized the Senate: “Iran sees that, they go, ‘What’s that all about?’ Now you know, it’s meaningless, right?” Hours later, the administration asked Congress for $70 billion to cover the war’s cost, adding to the U.S. military budget of $867 billion.
Cassidy voted no in the late-night vote, while two other Republicans crossed party lines to vote with Democrats in favour. Cassidy thanked Vice President JD Vance and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff for a “thorough briefing” on Iran, appreciating “the quick invitation to the White House.”
Strait Of Hormuz Tensions
Benchmark oil prices fell Thursday to their lowest since before the war, as the U.S.-Iran accord lifted Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps warned vessels to stick to Tehran-designated routes, rejecting newly announced shipping lanes not coordinated with Iran. The statement followed Oman’s announcement of temporary lanes through the strait with the International Maritime Organization. Before the blockade, the waterway carried a fifth of global oil and LNG shipments.
Conflicting accounts have emerged over the deal, prompting criticism of Trump at home and abroad. Financial incentives for Iran, nuclear facility inspections, control of the strait, and Israel’s parallel war in Lebanon have all been disputed. The deal sets up 60 days of talks on thornier details, like Iran’s nuclear program, and has provoked scepticism in the Middle East, where many states view it as too generous to Tehran, including a $300 billion fund and waiver of sanctions.
Regional Scepticism
Gulf allies fear the fund could help Iran rebuild its military, and the accord does not address Tehran’s missile capacity. Iran may impose tolls on shipping after the initial 60 days, and could propose environmental, navigation and security fees in upcoming talks, a diplomat briefed on the talks said. Washington and Gulf allies oppose such fees. “We’re not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies,” Rubio said in Kuwait City, where the U.S. embassy resumed operations after a wartime stoppage.
Israel, Lebanon Meet In Washington
In Washington, Lebanon and Israel discussed a U.S.-backed proposal for Israeli forces to pull out of invaded territory and hand it to Lebanese army control, but Netanyahu said Israel would not withdraw. Israel has battled Hezbollah since the group attacked it on March 2 in support of Iran. An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed two people Wednesday, while Israel said it struck two armed Hezbollah fighters.
(with input from Reuters)
