Cory Booker blasts Trump Iran deal as 'capitulation', says US is 'paying billions' to rebuild Tehran

WASHINGTON,DC: Senator Cory Booker on Sunday, June 21, blasted President Donald Trump’s Iran agreement as a “cataclysmic failure,” arguing that the deal rewards Tehran with billions of dollars while ordinary Americans are left paying the economic and financial costs of a conflict that has already strained US resources.

The New Jersey Democrat said the arrangement amounts to a major concession to Iran and warned that the administration is trying to sell a diplomatic victory where critics across the political spectrum see a costly surrender.

Booker claims 'Tehran benefits most' 

Appearing on NBC’s 'Meet the Press', Booker delivered one of the sharpest Democratic attacks yet on the Trump administration’s newly signed memorandum of understanding with Iran.

According to Booker, the agreement leaves Iran positioned to gain enormous financial advantages while offering little reassurance to Americans who have watched Washington pour vast resources into 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 said.

He argued that Tehran stands to emerge from the arrangement with access to billions of dollars in economic benefits while the United States continues to absorb the costs generated by months of military operations and instability in the region.

“Iran gets all of the benefits, literally billions and billions of dollars,” Booker said.

The senator went on to describe the agreement as a disastrous outcome for the United States, claiming American taxpayers are being left with the bill while Iran receives opportunities for reconstruction and economic recovery.

“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,” Booker said.

“This has been a cataclysmic failure of his making.”

Booker calls out 'abject surrender' by Trump

Booker also took aim at Trump’s reputation as a dealmaker, arguing that the administration had failed to secure terms proportionate to the sacrifices already made during the conflict.

“I do not support this deal that he made, which was an abject surrender,” Booker said. “This is a guy who said he’s a great negotiator.”

He added that it was difficult to justify a situation in which Iran could potentially gain access to significant financial resources while Americans continue facing the economic consequences of the war.

Booker’s remarks come as debate surrounding the Iran agreement continues to intensify in Washington.

The memorandum of understanding signed earlier brought an official halt to the war and laid out a framework for future negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Despite the agreement between Washington and Tehran, clashes involving Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement have continued to fuel tensions in Lebanon.

Those developments have raised fresh questions about how durable the diplomatic breakthrough will ultimately prove to be.