US politicians react to Trump’s Iran ceasefire with caution, relief

Washington, DC – Politicians in the United States have largely welcomed the truce with Iran, with some of President Donald Trump’s Republican allies voicing scepticism about a possible deal, as Democrats renewed calls for accountability over an “illegal war”.

Trump announced the ceasefire on Tuesday, about 10 hours after proclaiming that a “whole civilization will die tonight”. The two-week truce will see Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz as Tehran and Washington negotiate a lasting end to the war.

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Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally and one of the most vocal Iran hawks in Congress, said he preferred diplomacy and appreciated “the hard work of all involved in trying to find a diplomatic solution”.

But he said he was “extremely cautious” about reports surrounding the ceasefire agreement.

Trump had said in his ceasefire announcement that the US and Iran were “very far along with a definitive” agreement and described a 10-point plan proposed by Tehran as a “workable basis on which to negotiate”.

While the content of any future agreement remains unclear, Iranian officials say the 10-point plan includes sanctions relief for Iran and allows the country to retain control over the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal also says the US would accept Iran’s domestic uranium enrichment, according to Iranian media reports.

Graham, however, stressed that lawmakers would review any deal with Iran.

“We must remember that the Strait of Hormuz was attacked by Iran after the start of the war, destroying freedom of navigation,” he wrote on X. “Going forward, it is imperative Iran is not rewarded for this hostile act against the world.”

The senator added that Iran must not be allowed to return to the uranium enrichment “business”.

“Time will tell,” he wrote.

Democrats – who have been calling for Trump’s removal from office after he threatened to bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran in attacks that would amount to war crimes – lauded the two-week ceasefire.

“Stopping war is good,” Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego wrote on X. “I am glad our men and women in uniform will be out of danger. We can criticize why we got into this war, the illegality of it and holding the Trump admin accountable. But right now I am relieved.”

Iran hawks predict war will resume

Trump’s allies in Congress, including the leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate, have not commented on the ceasefire in its immediate aftermath.

But some of the war’s supporters underscored that Trump had not agreed to the Iranian plan, arguing that the truce is only a temporary pause to hostilities.

Laura Loomer, a far-right activist close to Trump, predicted that the ceasefire “will fail”.

“The negotiation is a negative for our country. We didn’t really get anything out of it and the terrorists in Iran are celebrating,” she wrote on X.

“I don’t know why people are acting like this is a win.”

Mark Levin, another pro-Israel commentator with ties to Trump, said that while he trusts the US president’s “instincts”, the war is not over.

“This enemy is still the enemy; they’re still surviving,” he said of Iran.

Trump launched the war on February 28 without congressional authorisation. US and Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the conflict.

Another attack hit a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab, killing more than 170 people, mostly children.

Iran responded with drone and missile attacks against Israel and the entire region.

The Iranian military also closed the Strait of Hormuz – a vital waterway for energy products – sending oil and gas prices soaring.

On Tuesday, Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said allowing Iran to control the strait would be a “history-changing win” for Tehran.

“The level of incompetence is both stunning and heartbreaking,” he said on X.

‘Ceasefire is not a clean slate’

Other Democrats called for accountability against Trump for launching the war.

“I’m glad there is a reported ceasefire deal with Iran. But we shouldn’t be in this illegal war in the first place,” said Senator Ed Markey.

“And Donald Trump can’t simply threaten war crimes with impunity. Congress needs to get back in session now to stop this war and remove Donald Trump.”

Under the US Constitution, only Congress has the authority to declare war, and international law prohibits targeting civilian infrastructure as a form of collective punishment.

Progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the truce “changes nothing”, stressing that Trump should still be impeached and removed from office over the war.

“The President has threatened a genocide against the Iranian people, and is continuing to leverage that threat,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “He has launched a massive war of enormous risk and of catastrophic consequence without reason, rationale, nor Congressional authorization – which is as clear a violation of the Constitution as any.”

Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at the rights group DAWN, also said US legislators should question Trump’s decision to go to war against Iran.

“Congress must open an immediate investigation into how this war started, who authorised it, who profited from it, and who will be held accountable for every civilian killed,” Jarrar told Al Jazeera.

“This ceasefire is not a clean slate. It should be the beginning of accountability.”