U.S. President Donald Trump is facing mixed reactions over a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) related to ending the war with Iran. Trump said it is stronger than the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) that former President Barack Obama reached in the past, but details reported by the media amount to only a page and a half, prompting skepticism in political circles.
On the 16th local time, CNN and the U.S. foreign and security magazine the Diplomat reported that Trump called the recent provisional agreement between the United States and Iran an agreement that would fundamentally block Iran's possession of nuclear weapons, and claimed it is more advanced than the 2015 JCPOA signed by the Obama administration.
However, based on what is known so far, critics say it actually lacks detail compared with the JCPOA. According to CNN, the JCPOA was an 18-page detailed agreement that included caps on uranium enrichment, standards for operating centrifuges, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection procedures. By contrast, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said the new U.S.-Iran deal takes the form of an MOU of about a page and a half.
◇ "Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not an achievement either… more ambiguous than the JCPOA"
The agreement centers on a cease-fire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the start of additional talks over the next 60 days. Sensitive issues such as the scope of nuclear program limits, how to handle enriched uranium, inspection mechanisms, and conditions for easing sanctions on Iran were mostly deferred to follow-up negotiations.
The Diplomat assessed that even the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, cited as a key outcome of the deal, is closer to restoring the prewar status than a "new achievement." Even before the war, the strait served as a vital artery for global oil shipments, and the agreement mainly calls for removing Iran's mines and lifting the U.S. blockade.
There is also criticism that the nuclear provisions are unclear. Vice President Vance stressed that "Iran will neither possess nor develop nuclear weapons," but specific details on how this would be verified and managed have not yet been released. The Diplomat said the current deal is less specific than the JCPOA because key provisions such as a ceiling on uranium enrichment and an IAEA verification regime are missing.
Former President Obama also raised doubts about Trump's claim of a "better deal," telling ABC recently that even if a new agreement emerges, it is likely not to differ greatly from the existing JCPOA.
◇ Trump allies also voice criticism… "Release the MOU"
Experts and politicians said the U.S. government should formally release the MOU. Mark Levin, a conservative commentator and Fox News host who supported Trump's military action against Iran, said, "For days I've been asking why our people can't see this damn MOU," adding, "I'm talking about the actual document, not accounts from people briefed by anonymous officials." He continued, "Honestly, I've never seen anything like this," and said, "If this is truly a great outcome for peace, release it."
Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat, said on X (formerly Twitter) that "this war has left the United States with an expensive lesson," and criticized that "as expected, Trump failed to bring about regime change in Iran." He added that "the terms of the deal known so far do not appear better than what Obama secured nearly 10 years ago through the JCPOA."
Washington Post (WP) columnist Marc Thiessen said the deal appears similar to the Obama administration's 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. He also slammed Vice President Vance's media interview suggesting that if Iran complies, it could gain access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund, saying, "Under no circumstances is giving Iran $300 billion anything but a disaster," and likened it to "presenting a Marshall Plan to rebuild Germany with the Nazis in power."
Still, some say it is difficult to make a simple comparison at this stage. CNN reported that the currently disclosed agreement is closer to a provisional accord to enable additional talks over the next 60 days, not a long-term nuclear pact, and that the full text has not yet been released, adding that it remains to be seen whether restrictions on the nuclear program and verification mechanisms will be fleshed out in the final outcome.