Donald Trump Jr. has accused Texas Senator Ted Cruz of “lying thru his teeth” after Cruz reportedly criticized a proposed deal between the United States and Iran. According to BBC, President Donald Trump signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding with the Iranian regime on Wednesday night at the G7 summit in France. The agreement is intended to bring an end to the conflict following weeks of what were described as tenuous negotiations.
However, many within the president’s own party reportedly fear the deal may favor Iran more than the United States. Of particular concern is a provision said to create a “$300 billion reconstruction and development fund for Iran,” which has reportedly raised questions about whether it gives away too much.
Cruz, who has apparently been an ally of the president in the past, told the Daily Wire that the president appeared to be receiving poor advice. “What has been released so far suggests that, unfortunately, the president is getting, I think, very poor advice when it comes to this deal,” Cruz said. He added, “History teaches that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is a bad idea.”
Republican lawmakers and commentators raise concerns over the agreement’s terms
Cruz complained that between “$10 billion and $30 billion will flow to the Ayatollah immediately” before Iran makes any nuclear concession. He also said the money “if it goes to the Ayatollah, will go to fund terrorists trying to kill Americans and weapons that will be used to kill Americans,” according to his reported remarks.
After reading the senator’s remarks, Trump Jr. responded on X, claiming that Cruz “is lying thru his teeth” about the deal. “We’re not giving them a cent and he knows that,” he said. He added, “Using fake news about the deal to undermine @realDonaldTrump is the opposite of MAGA.”
The only problem with this quote is that @tedcruz is lying thru his teeth about the deal. We're not giving them a cent and he knows that. Using fake news about the peace deal to undermine @realDonaldTrump is the opposite of MAGA. https://t.co/X2q3jesxc3
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 17, 2026
According to The Daily Mail, the proposed “reconstruction and development fund” would come from money the regime receives when sanctions are lifted and its assets are unfrozen. The Trump administration has reportedly insisted that American taxpayer dollars will not be used for the fund. Reports of tense diplomacy have also surfaced recently, as seen how Trump cursed at Netanyahu during a heated call as the deal stalled.
Cruz also noted that the agreement allows Iran to maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil supply is said to flow. “It is difficult to see what possible benefit to America could come from that,” he said. Cruz also praised the president for the earlier military action, saying Trump “was exactly right to initiate military action against Iran, because for 47 years the regime has been waging war against America.”
Cruz called Iran “the world’s leading funder of terrorism” and claimed the regime has been “murdering Americans” since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. “Nearly 1,000 Americans have been murdered by the Ayatollah and the mullahs,” Cruz claimed.
He added that it is “not remotely in America’s interest for us to pay to rebuild that capacity that we just took out.” Cruz has also weighed in on the conflict’s domestic impact, reportedly saying that rising gas prices tied to Iran would not be a major factor in the midterms.
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who lost a primary last month after Trump targeted him for defeat, also cast doubt on the deal, according to CNN. He declared on X that “Reagan is rolling over in his grave,” and argued that Iran’s nuclear ambitions “were not curbed.” The agreement is said to give both sides a 60-day window to finalize how to handle Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
“This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” Cassidy wrote. Fox News’ Mark Levin is also criticizing the deal in a lengthy post on X, writing that “great damage has been done to Iran’s military” while warning that the agreement does not mention Iran’s ballistic missiles or its alleged funding of terrorism.
Reagan is rolling over in his grave. Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future. Now, Iran gets to build brand-new infrastructure under this deal.
— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) June 17, 2026
Before the war, the…
Trump, during a news conference earlier in the day, argued that a complete ban on conventional ballistic missiles was unrealistic, per The Hill. “Missiles aren’t the problem. They hurt a little location, but they don’t blow up the planet,” Trump said. He also said US forces had knocked out about 85 percent of Iran’s missiles, and vowed that if Iran were to misbehave he would “go back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head.”
