A reported agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would represent a major victory for President Donald Trump, even if it begins as a temporary arrangement, former Sen. Rick Santorum told Newsmax on Sunday.

"I think this is a great step forward," the Pennsylvania Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend." "The reality is that the president is talking about opening up the Strait of Hormuz.

"You can say it's for 60 days, but it's a huge step forward."

Santorum said Iran's nuclear program has been effectively neutralized in the near term and argued that Tehran faces severe economic challenges.

"The Iranian nuclear program has been dismantled," he said. "Can they reconstitute? Of course they can.

"But the nuclear material is buried in a bunker and sealed off. It would take a long time for them to get it back out."

He added that Iran is "on their back financially" and "economically in desperate shape right now."

According to Santorum, Trump's focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining a ceasefire is appropriate given current conditions.

"The key thing that the president is focused on, which I think is appropriate, is opening up the Strait of Hormuz and continuing a ceasefire," he said.

Santorum cautioned that any ceasefire with Iran would likely remain fragile.

"This ceasefire is like every Middle East ceasefire," he said. "It goes as long as someone behaves themselves, and Iran doesn't behave themselves. And they do something, the president's going to do what he's done in the past, which is smack them down again."

Asked whether a lasting agreement with Iran's current regime is possible, Santorum said he expects negotiations to proceed in stages rather than produce a permanent settlement.

"I think with the current regime, probably the answer to that is no," he said. "It's going to be an interim process."

Santorum said Trump has consistently maintained that Iran will not receive sanctions relief or other benefits until it fulfills its commitments.

"This is performance payment, not payment performance," he said.

He also expressed confidence that Trump would reject any agreement he viewed as unfavorable.

"One thing Donald Trump likes to make a deal, and he hates bad deals," Santorum said. "He's not going to make a bad deal here. I am convinced of that."

"Donald Trump is someone who sees someone who makes a bad deal as a loser," he added. "Anything that you can say about Donald Trump, he doesn't want to be a loser."

Santorum also praised Trump for prioritizing the issue even as he celebrated his 80th birthday.

"I give enormous credit to the president for taking this on," Santorum said.

He contrasted Trump's approach with previous administrations, criticizing former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden for their handling of Iran.

"Trump has been the only guy to take it on," Santorum said.

Rejecting comparisons to prolonged military conflicts, Santorum said recent actions against Iran have produced tangible results.

"The idea that we're even talking about a forever war when this is what we've seen is a dramatic success on the battlefield and now bringing the regime to its knees slowly but surely," he said.

While acknowledging that broader objectives may take time to achieve, Santorum said recent developments represent meaningful progress.

"You take it one step at a time," he said. "And this looks like a very positive step."

GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:

NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!

Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.

You need to watch NEWSMAX today.

Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!

Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now

BEST OFFER:

Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.

Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.

Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!

Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.

Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!

Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com