The announcement of a potential deal between the US and Iran, following months of conflict, has seen scathing backlash from prominent Iran hawks in the US, as well as a growing criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , with many stating it will be a major blow for him.
A 'Memorandum of Understanding' was announced by US President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post late on Saturday, following a call with eight regional states.
Its details, released by Axios , include a 60-day period where the Strait of Hormuz would be opened, sanctions relief and the lifting of the blockade on Iran, and a commitment to further negotiations. 'Worst scenario for Netanyahu' Senior Analyst for Israel at the International Crisis Group, Mairav Zonszein, told The New Arab that within Israel, "there's only been voices against the deal so far in the media this morning".
"The gist of what we're hearing is [that this is] literally the worst scenario that Netanyahu could think of," she said of the reaction to the deal, noting that the nuclear issue and uranium stockpiles were kicked down the road, while ballistic missiles and support for regional allies are not in the deal.
As a result, Zonszein said that "all of the national security experts today are talking about how it's really bad".
"For example, the former National Security Advisor, Jacob Nagel, who was on the radio this morning, and he's very much an architect of Netanyahu's security doctrine on Iran, and very hawkish on Iran, said that this is just like a capitulation, a negative net result for Israel."
Zonszein noted that there was leeway for Netanyahu, who may use the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon to try to challenge any agreement, conduct covert or false flag operations, or return to war after the end of the 60-day truce.
"The trajectory that we seem to be on in the coming days is one in which Netanyahu will have to oblige Trump, but the big question is, what actually happens in the coming weeks?" 'Nightmare for Israel' The potential deal has further sparked debate on what it will mean for Israel, as Tel Aviv, alongside the US, took part in the onslaught on Iran, and waged war against Tehran for 12-days in June 2025.
Senator Lindsey Graham said that a deal could shift the balance of power in the Gulf to Iran, "and over time will be a nightmare for Israel," as well as create assumptions that the US and its allies couldn't stop Iran from exercising control of the Strait of Hormuz with military force.
Israeli national security expert and Senior Fellow at The Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Danny Citrinowicz, weighed in on X about how the deal "exposes the collapse of his [Netanyahu's] long-standing Iran doctrine", representing a political blow to the Israeli premier. "The bottom line is that a U.S.–Iran agreement would not only signal the failure of the military confrontation Netanyahu pushed for, but also the collapse of the broader strategic doctrine he has championed since entering Israeli politics, all on the eve of what could be the most critical election of his career," he said. Fierce criticism The criticism of Netanyahu comes as senior figures in Trump's Republican Party in Congress, as well as Iran hawks in US policy circles, have publicly railed against the announcement.
Former US Secretary of State under the first Trump administration, Mike Pompeo, took to X to say the deal "seems straight out of the Wendy Sherman-Robert Malley-Ben Rhodes playbook: Pay the IRGC to build a WMD program and terrorize the world".
Wendy Sherman and Robert Malley were key to US-Iran negotiations under the Obama administration, while Ben Rhodes also served in a national security role under Obama.
Robert Malley responded to Pompeo, saying if the deal ends the war, "I am quite sure we'd be willingly accept it over the alternative."
Pompeo went on to advocate further strikes on Iran, saying the deal was "not remotely America First."
The post led to a strong reaction from White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, who responded : "Mike Pompeo has no idea what the f*** he's talking about."
Several US senators also weighed in, with Ted Cruz doubling down on supporting Trump's decision to bomb Iran, saying that a deal would be "a disastrous mistake".
Senator Roger Wicker echoed the sentiment, saying the deal "would be a disaster. Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught".
Mark Dubowitz, the CEO of Pro-Israel think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the deal that is emerging is "one that amounts to surrender to Iran."
Despite the criticism, the Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, praised the deal, saying Trump "is the ONLY one who could have gotten Iran… to the negotiating table."