WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump faced pointed criticism over the Iran war during a closed‑door Republican meeting on Wednesday, just before his administration requested tens of billions of dollars from Congress to fund it.
Several participants said Trump engaged in a shouting match with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who warned that the framework agreement signed last week offers financial incentives to Iran but fails to achieve the objectives he outlined at the war’s outset.
“The American people deserve greater transparency than we are currently receiving,” Cassidy told reporters. “It does not appear, although I cannot be certain, that the current course may not align with earlier expectations.”
This intense exchange underscores growing pressure on Trump as the November elections approach, with only one‑in‑four Americans viewing the conflict as worthwhile, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, and Trump’s approval rating hitting its lowest level since his return to office last year. The confrontation occurred a day after the Senate passed a largely symbolic resolution urging an end to the war. Cassidy was among four Republicans who supported the measure, joining Democratic lawmakers.
Trump did not reference the exchange with Cassidy, who had been displaced by a challenger backed by Trump in a primary earlier this year. Subsequently, he lambasted the Senate’s symbolic vote to end the war. “Iran notices the noise, they ask ‘what’s that about’? It means nothing,” he told reporters at the White House. Several hours later, the administration submitted a request to Congress for $70 billion to fund the conflict, atop the $867 billion defense budget. On Wednesday evening, Cassidy posted on X, thanking Vice President JD Vance and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff for “the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran.” He added, “I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns.”
Oil prices fall
The initial agreement between the United States and Iran has lifted Iran’s restriction on the Strait of Hormuz, restoring free passage through a conduit that previously carried roughly one‑fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Benchmark oil prices slipped on Wednesday to their lowest level since before the conflict began as supply concerns receded. Nonetheless, divergent accounts of certain deal components have surfaced, eliciting criticism of Trump both domestically and throughout the Middle East. Financial incentives for Iran, inspections of its nuclear facilities, control over the strait, and Israel’s concurrent operations in Lebanon have all become points of dispute, underscoring the accord’s fragility.
The framework establishes a 60‑day window for negotiations to address more complex issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
Regional skepticism
The proposed peace arrangement has drawn considerable skepticism across the Middle East, where numerous states faced Iranian aggression during the conflict and perceive the deal as overly generous to Tehran, encompassing a $300 billion reconstruction fund and partial sanction relief.
Washington’s Gulf partners worry that the reconstruction funding could enable Iran to rebuild its military capabilities. Moreover, the agreement does not confront Tehran’s ballistic‑missile program.
The accord mandates unfettered shipping through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, after which Tehran has indicated it may levy tolls. A diplomat briefed on the talks suggested Iran might introduce environmental, navigation, and security fees in forthcoming negotiations with Gulf states; Washington and its allies oppose such charges.
“We will not take any action that jeopardizes the security of our allies, our longstanding partners in the region,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared in Kuwait City, where the U.S. embassy has resumed operations after a months‑long hiatus caused by the war.
Israel and Lebanon convene in Washington
In the U.S. capital, Lebanese and Israeli officials discussed a U.S.-supported proposal calling for Israeli forces to withdraw from portions of the territory seized during the conflict and transfer control to the Lebanese army.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected any withdrawal from the contested area.
Israel has engaged Hezbollah in Lebanon since the group launched an attack on Israel on March 2 in support of Iran, and Tehran has insisted that a cessation of hostilities in the region be a cornerstone of any future peace arrangement with the United States. An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon on Wednesday reportedly killed at least two individuals, according to Lebanese sources, while Israeli officials claimed the strike targeted two armed Hezbollah fighters. The precise relationship between the two incidents remains uncertain.