Iran hawks on both sides of the political aisle are accusing President Donald Trump of capitulating to Tehran after signing a ceasefire and negotiation agreement that lifts sanctions on Iranian oil exports, with critics arguing the administration backed down amid falling approval ratings and fears of political fallout ahead of the midterm elections.

The agreement immediately waives sanctions on Iranian crude oil and petroleum exports in exchange for Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and entering a 60-day negotiation process over its nuclear program.

Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called the deal a "thorough capitulation."

"Iran gets sanctions relief, the release of frozen funds, the ability to export oil, and a $300 billion reconstruction fund," Schiff said.

"The U.S. gets a reiteration of the vague promise Iran won't develop a nuke."

Former Obama and Biden administration official Susan Rice was even more blunt, calling the agreement "the biggest national security blunder in decades."

Republican critics echoed those concerns. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said, "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."

Cassidy separately blasted the agreement on social media, writing: "Reagan is rolling over in his grave."

Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior fellow Miad Maleki argued that the administration is "trading away its most durable economic lever before the hard part of the negotiation has even started."

"If broad relief is offered upfront while negotiations drag on for months," Maleki warned, "re-establishing today's level of leverage would take years, not weeks."

In Israel, where Trump had previously enjoyed strong support, critics said Washington had surrendered the pressure that brought Iran to the negotiating table.

"The Strait is open and the Iranians can start exporting their oil, and therefore they get money coming in," said former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adviser Mark Regev.

"You've taken away the economic pressure."

"At the moment I don't see" a favorable deal, Regev added. "I see America having given Iran's regime a return to life."

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid was equally critical, saying: "Netanyahu promised us a historic victory, and we got a crisis with the Americans, Hormuz open to the Iranians, money for the Revolutionary Guards, ballistic missiles aimed at Israel."

The backlash has fueled a growing narrative among foreign policy hawks that Trump abandoned the administration's earlier maximalist objectives as public support for the conflict weakened and political concerns mounted ahead of the 2026 midterms.

One analyst cited in the debate, Danny Citrinowicz, argued that the administration had "stepped back from maximalist objectives and returned to a more measured and realistic approach."

Trump has rejected criticism of the deal, calling it a "major win" for the United States.

Vice President JD Vance also defended the agreement, arguing sanctions had become "fundamentally ineffective" and insisting the administration can "slap everything right back on if the Iranians don't make the deal that we expect."

Iran, however, portrayed the agreement very differently.

Iranian negotiators described the accord as "a record of U.S. failure," reinforcing claims from critics that Washington conceded key leverage in exchange for a temporary pause in hostilities.