Donald Trump Jr. doubled down on his criticism of Sen. Ted Cruz, accusing the Texas Republican of “lying thru his teeth” over Cruz’s claim that President Donald Trump agreed—under a memorandum of understanding with Iran—to pay to rebuild Iran’s military capaci
Donald Trump Jr. didn’t wait for the next cable segment or another round of talking points. On Wednesday, he went straight after Sen. Ted Cruz for what he called a blatant misrepresentation of President Donald Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran—specifically Cruz’s claim that the president agreed “to pay to rebuild” the Islamic republic’s military capacity.
Cruz had told The Daily Wire in an interview Wednesday that “it is not remotely in America’s interest for us to rebuild that capacity that we just destroyed. ” according to an excerpt shared on X by the outlet’s opinion editor. Benjamin Domenech—an excerpt that immediately caught Trump Jr.’s attention.
“The only problem with this quote is that @tedcruz is lying thru his teeth about the deal,” Trump Jr. wrote, quoting the post. “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.”
Cruz framed the tentative peace deal as dangerous from the start, aligning with numerous GOP hawks on Iran since Trump announced the memorandum on Sunday. He argued it would be a strategic misstep and said “giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is a bad idea.”
Those competing narratives—one side insisting no money is being provided, the other warning that billions could flow—are playing out against the backdrop of a war that began in late February, when the U.S. and Israel carried out joint strikes on Tehran.
Cruz said the released terms point to a transfer that could shape the conflict’s next phase. Under the terms he described. “somewhere between $10 billion and $30 billion will flow to the Ayatollah immediately before they make even a single nuclear concession. ” he told the right-wing media company. “I think that’s ill-advised.”.
He added that any money flowing to the Iranian leadership would be used to “fund terrorists trying to kill Americans and weapons that will be used to try to kill Americans.” Cruz also warned that the deal could “formalize a permanent role for the Islamic regime controlling the Strait of Hormuz.”
The Strait of Hormuz—through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes—was open before the war began. Iran has reportedly begun granting commercial ships safe passage, and under the agreement, Iran is permitted to sell its oil. The potential revenue, Cruz said, is part of what could net billions.
Mehr, a state news outlet, reportedly stated Iran could earn $10 billion in oil sales, with revenue as high as $30 billion in the first 60 days.
A U.S. official offered a different framing of what the memorandum actually does and when benefits can be accessed. The memorandum released Wednesday is “a performance-based agreement,” intended to launch 60 days of further negotiations, the official explained. In that view. Iran can only access benefits if it follows all the agreed points—“including no nuclear weapon. neutralizing its enriched material. and not interfering with the free flow of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”.
The memorandum itself contains commitments from both sides: the U.S. would drop sanctions, help develop a $300 billion reconstruction plan, grant Iran access to part of its frozen assets, and cease military hostilities. Iran would vow “not procure or develop nuclear weapons.”
That nuclear provision echoes the core of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action secured in 2015 by then-President Barack Obama. Trump, during his first term, infamously exited the JCPOA in 2018 and has repeatedly claimed—falsely—that the deal had “allowed” Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
Cruz said Wednesday it’s “difficult” to see any “possible benefit to America” in Trump’s deal, but Trump Jr. responded as if the accusation itself were the problem—not the risk. By claiming Cruz was “lying thru his teeth” and that “We’re not giving them a cent,” Trump Jr. placed the fight where it’s most likely to land with his political base: on the question of whether the memorandum is handing Iran money before it has earned anything—or tying relief to strict conditions.
For now. the memorandum stands as a set of promises and deadlines: a 60-day runway for negotiations. a reconstruction and sanctions framework that hinges on compliance. and a public argument that has moved from Senate floor disputes into direct father-and-son-style combat over a single phrase—whether this is rebuilding Iran’s military or ending a war without paying for the next one.
Donald Trump Jr. Ted Cruz Iran memorandum of understanding Strait of Hormuz sanctions relief frozen assets nuclear weapons reconstruction plan U.S. foreign policy 60 days negotiations