Some Senate Republicans said Monday they wanted to hold a vote on President Donald Trump’s deal with Iran.
Trump announced a breakthrough in diplomatic negotiations Sunday, which would extend the ceasefire for 60 days and open the Strait of Hormuz. Since no text of the deal has been released, some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle demanded more information about the deal as well as saying they believed the Senate should have the final say on whether the agreement should be implemented.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday there is “some expectation” that the chamber would vote on the agreement.
Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford told reporters that the chamber must “solidify” the deal long-term.
“If you want a deal to last, it can’t be an executive agreement,” Lankford said, according to Politico. “We’ve got to have a vote of Congress to be able to solidify [it] long term.”
Republican South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds encouraged Trump to send the deal to Capitol Hill if the administration wanted to avoid being seen as making a “political agreement” akin to the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, Politico reported.
Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn also said he would like to see more information on the treaty.
“First of all, I’d like to see the [Memorandum of Understanding]. It’s hard to know based on press reports, but I mean, I personally believe that [Operation] Epic Fury has been productive, even if this MOU is reported to be what it is, but there’s no doubt that the Iranian regime will rebuild and will continue to pursue nuclear weapons,” Cornyn said. “And you can’t trust them. So I think we just got to have our eyes open and take a dose of reality.”
Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley declined to comment about the deal when pressed by reporters. “I think I better read it on Friday before I comment on it,” Grassley told reporters.
Republicans criticized former President Barack Obama in 2015 when his administration negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in which the U.S. and Iran agreed to ease sanctions in return for Iran limiting its uranium enrichment program. The Republican-controlled House and Senate at the time passed legislation allowing for congressional review of any deal dealing with the Iranian nuclear program.
The Trump administration said they expect to release the full text of the agreement later in the week while details about the deal remained vague. A formal signing of the treaty will take place Friday in Switzerland.
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters that he was concerned about Iran holding up its end of the deal.
“The MOU being described by us sounds really very good; the MOU being described by Iran sounds awful,” Graham said. ““If they can enrich [uranium] anywhere at all, then it’s the same as JCPOA. If they can’t enrich, then that makes it a good deal. Let’s look at it and see what it actually is.”
Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who has clashed publicly with Trump, said he couldn’t take the deal seriously without knowing what was in the deal. “I mean, if it’s a secret deal, then how can I take it seriously?” Tillis said.
Tillis says he wants more details about Trump’s Iran deal:
“I mean, if it’s a secret deal, then how can I take it seriously?”
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) June 15, 2026
Democrats also demanded more information on the deal, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who argued there are “more questions than there are answers.”
“What happens to the Iranian nuclear program? What happens to the Iranian funds that are located all around the world that have been locked up for years now, and what happens to the sanctions on Iranian oil?” Warren told reporters. “Donald Trump started a war, he spent tens of billions of dollars, killed 14 Americans service members and countless people throughout the Middle East.”
Vice President J.D. Vance repeatedly said the administration will attempt to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon, though he has not addressed potential uranium enrichment or civilian nuclear facilities.
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