”Like everyone, I hope we can end the reign of terror of the Iranian regime through diplomacy,” Graham said in a social media post, adding “time will tell.”
“I want to reaffirm that from my point of view, every ounce of the approximately 900 lbs. of highly enriched uranium has to be controlled by the U.S. and removed from Iran to prevent them in the future from having a dirty bomb or returning to the enrichment business,” Graham said.
Trump, in his announcement Tuesday, said that Iran’s 10-point proposal was “workable” and that “almost all” major points of contention had been resolved in principle, suggesting a breakthrough could be close.
Utah Republican Rep. Burgess Owens said the deal was a “very positive step towards a lasting peace,” while Rep. Brett Guthrie (R, Ky.) said, “I pray that the end of hostilities will be lasting.”
A handful of GOP lawmakers earlier issued a rare rebuke of the President after he threatened to wipe out “a whole civilization” if Iran failed to make a deal with Washington. Sen. Ron Johnson (R, Wis.), speaking at a podcast published on Tuesday, said that he hoped the President was just speaking “bluster,” and that the U.S. was “not at war with the Iranian people” and is instead “trying to liberate them.” And Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R, Alaska) said on social media hours before Trump announced the cease-fire that the threat “cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran.”
