Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) on Monday expressed skepticism that Iran is negotiating in good faith after signing a memorandum of understanding with President Donald Trump to end the ongoing war, arguing Iran is stalling and biding its time until the MAGA leader is out of office.
“What we’re seeing now is the rope-a-dope they usually perform, which is buy time and try to lead us along until hopefully President Trump and his team’s out of office and they can re-up their campaign,” Sheehy said Monday during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”
He continued, “So hopefully this is successful, but we have to remind ourselves we are dealing with a regime that will not negotiate in good faith. They want you and I dead and all of us to be gone, and they don’t want that to happen with the snap of a finger.”
Sheehy went on to claim Iran wants to recreate the Oct. 7 Hamas attack “times a million.”
The Iran war began in February with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran and has already cost at least 13 U.S. military service members and more than 3,000 Iranians their lives. Iran subsequently closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes.
Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, helped U.S. Capitol Police earlier this year drag an Iran war protester out of a Senate hearing. The protester was Brian McGinnis, a military veteran and Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate, and reportedly had his arm broken in the process.
Trump and Iranian leadership signed a memorandum of understanding last week intended to launch 60 days of negotiations. It included vows from Iran not to “procure or develop nuclear weapons,” a stated aim of Trump’s in launching the war, and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
It also included vows from the U.S. to help develop a $300 billion economic rehabilitation fund for Iran amid U.S-Israeli devastation in the country, a provision GOP hawks on Iran have decried, and an agreement from both parties to cease hostilities “on all fronts” for 60 days.
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is reportedly fuming over the deal, advising him not to undermine “the only powerful ally” he has left. He also said Iran has agreed to let its nuclear sites be inspected.
Iran said Saturday it closed the strait after Israel bombed Lebanon.
“We seem to be right on the cusp of a major breakthrough in the agreement, and then all of a sudden there’s a major explosion that goes off … in Beirut and a lot of people who have nothing to do with Hezbollah lose their lives, and that’s not acceptable,” Vance said.
Sheey said on Fox the following about Iran, “They want us to be wiped off the map.”