Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) launched a blistering critique of President Trump's recent memorandum of understanding with Iran on Sunday, arguing that the agreement hands Tehran billions of dollars in relief while leaving the United States to shoulder the financial and strategic burdens of the conflict.
“When you have Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and progressives, all coming out talking about capitulation, surrender, catastrophe, you know how bad this deal is,” Booker told NBC News’ Garrett Haake on “Meet the Press.” “Iran gets all of the benefits, literally billions and billions of dollars.”
Booker’s remarks come after Trump finalized the MOU last week, a move that ended months of devastating warfare in the region and helped stabilize global energy markets. But the senator, a potential 2028 presidential contender, described the accord as a strategic disaster. “And America continues to hurt and see the losses, from the $100 billion we’ve spent in the war to every American citizen seeing their costs skyrocket, this has been a cataclysmic failure of his making,” he added, directly referencing the president.
Senior Trump administration officials outlined the deal’s terms during a Wednesday call with reporters, which include “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts” and a U.S. commitment “to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Critics, however, have focused on a provision that could give Iran access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund. That element has drawn fire from both sides of the aisle, with figures like former national security adviser Susan Rice blasting the MOU as a “very bad outcome” for the United States.
Booker dismissed Trump’s self-styled reputation as a master negotiator. “I do not support this deal that he made which was an abject surrender. This is a guy who said he’s a great negotiator,” he said. “But right now, Iran has billions and billions of dollars of benefits. It’s almost as if American dollars, American resources are now going to be used to help rebuild Iran while we are continuing to carry the bill for it.”
The political fallout arrives as tensions across the Middle East remain elevated. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged strikes in Lebanon, and Trump on Sunday issued a stark warning to Tehran via Truth Social: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” The warning came shortly after Vice President Vance arrived in Switzerland for technical nuclear talks, a development that has further complicated the diplomatic landscape.
Booker’s criticism aligns with a broader bipartisan unease over the deal’s long-term implications. While the MOU ended a costly war that had spiked gas and oil prices globally, many lawmakers fear that unfreezing Iranian assets and lifting sanctions will embolden Tehran’s regional proxies. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment on the senator’s remarks.
