CBS News: Trump says Iran deal critics need to ‘learn’

US President Donald Trump said those who are criticizing the deal with Iran need to learn more, or ‘be educated’. He made the remarks in response to criticism from his own party, Senator Ted Cruz.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday (June 23), Trump said, ‘Those who are criticizing the deal, even if they are my friends, need to learn more about it. Because we have taken Iran to a place where no administration has ever been before.’ However, dissatisfaction is growing in Congress due to Trump’s comments. Lawmakers from both Republican and Democratic parties are complaining that they have not yet been formally informed about the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran.
Several Republican members of Capitol Hill have also publicly expressed concern about the issue. It has been alleged that Congress has not been given a detailed briefing on the key aspects of the deal. So far, the Trump administration has not even held a formal briefing for the full Congress. Meanwhile, Senator Ted Cruz has opposed several aspects of the deal from the beginning. In particular, he opposes allowing Iran to sell oil and the possibility of short-term sanctions relief.
In a speech last week, Cruz said, “History has shown that giving billions of dollars to theocratic extremist groups that want to harm us is a very bad decision.” He also claimed that President Trump is being misadvised about the deal. “I don’t want a single penny of American money going to the ayatollah’s government,” Cruz said.
The political debate in Washington over the new Iran deal is intensifying. While the Trump administration is presenting it as a diplomatic success, many members of Congress are questioning the terms of the deal, the sanctions relief, and the economic benefits Iran will receive from it. As a result, there is growing demand for the full details of the deal to be released and for Congress to be formally notified.