Trump suggests Iran deal is 'unconditional surrender'

President Donald Trump suggested that the memorandum of understanding reached with Iran amounts to an "unconditional surrender" and that the conflict demonstrated the breadth of his presidential powers.

"Well, actually it's probably an unconditional surrender," Trump told Axios' Marc Caputo in an interview excerpt released on Thursday.

"At the beginning of the conflict you had said that you only wanted an unconditional surrender, and the memorandum of understanding does not look like an unconditional surrender," Caputo said.

"Well, actually it's probably an unconditional surrender," Trump responded.

"Yeah?" Caputo insisted.

Trump replied: "I think so."

The statements came after the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding that begins a 60-day negotiation period toward a final agreement aimed at ending the war.

CNN reported earlier on Thursday that when Republican senators on Capitol Hill learned the details of Trump's Iran deal, some were so surprised they simply didn't want to comment on the matter.

However, in less than 24 hours, a significant group of Republican senators began openly questioning the terms of Trump's negotiations with Iran, with many calling on him to completely change his strategy.

Some, particularly those not facing re-election campaigns, sharply criticized Trump's deal. Outgoing Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy summed up the situation by saying, "Iran comes out stronger, we come out weaker." Texas Senator John Cornyn, who will also leave Congress, said: "Everything I've heard concerns me."

In the same interview with Axios, the full version of which will be released on Friday (19), Trump was asked about what he had learned about the exercise of power and its limits as a result of the conflict.

"There are no limits," Trump said.

"No, none. I haven't learned that lesson yet. I know they exist, but, you know, there are no limits. We totally defeated them militarily," Trump insisted.

Source: CNN