The Connecticut Democrat, who has been one of the strongest critics of the war in the Senate, made a strong accusation against the Vice President on Wednesday.He said that Vance supported the war and now the deal shows that the U.S.is giving in to Iran.
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, directly criticized Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday night.
He posted a clear message on X in response to a video where Vance attacked people who opposed the new peace deal with Iran.This exchange made the already heated debate over foreign policy even more intense.Murphy made it clear that the deal does not support the administration, but instead shows its failures.
The video Murphy responded to showed Vance attacking those who opposed the Iran peace deal.
The video included a caption saying, “Vice President @JDVance SLAMS critics of the Iran peace deal: ‘They want this to go on until every bomb has been dropped, or until every Iranian is dead.That is not what the President of the United States wants.’”
Murphy’s reply, posted at 6:23 p.m.
on June 17, was very direct.He said, “What happened here is simple.You lost a war you should have never started and surrendered on Iran’s terms.War opponents can be glad the war is over and also point out that this insane deal is a final proof point that the whole war — that you cheerled — was a total calamity.”
The deal Murphy is criticizing is the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this week by Trump, Vance, and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf.
The agreement allows both sides 60 days to create a final deal.During that time, the U.S.and Iran agreed to stop fighting.The deal includes the U.S.removing its naval blockade and some sanctions on Iran, while Iran opens the Strait of Hormuz.
Murphy had already shared his thoughts on the deal earlier that day.
“Here’s what this deal basically is: Iran makes zero concessions, and the United States lets Iran trade oil for free and commits to give them $300 billion in reparations,” he said.“This deal is essentially Iran’s terms.”
Murphy didn’t stop there.
“This deal makes two things perfectly clear: one, this war was just a total epic, embarrassing disaster for the country, and two, the Iran hawks, who have been telling us that if we just bomb Iran, we’ll get a good deal from them, have always been wrong, and they’re now proven wrong,” Murphy said.
Murphy’s attacks on Vance also included the administration’s description of what Iran agreed to on its nuclear program.
In another post, Murphy directly accused Vance of making things up.He responded to a clip where Vance claimed, “one of the core parts of the agreement is that the IAEA and the United States are going to help Iran destroy the highly enriched stockpile,” and wrote, “This is not part of the agreement.He is making this up.Iran agrees to give up NOTHING on their nuclear program in this deal.”
This reflects a bigger disagreement in Congress.
Lawmakers are not sure what the agreement actually includes, and the leadership has not been briefed.The “Gang of Eight” — a group of top lawmakers from both parties — has not been informed.Murphy had previously said he doubted the agreement was real.“I have no idea what it is.I don’t know that it exists.These guys are born liars.And they seem to think it’s something fundamentally different than what the Iranians think it is,” Murphy said.“And the most important parts of it might not be on paper.It might be in quiet side deals.”
Vance, who has become the main person behind the peace deal in the administration, has been defending the agreement on TV.
He said critics are making the same mistake as Iranian propaganda, focusing on the benefits to Iran without mentioning what Iran has to give up.He also denied claims that the deal gives Iran a lot of money without conditions.“Not a single cent of American money under any circumstance, no matter what the Iranians do, goes to Iran,” Vance said, adding that other countries like the UAE can invest in Iranian projects only if Iran meets its obligations.
Murphy has always called these arguments spin.
“The president doesn’t want you to see this agreement, because it is essentially a report card on what a disaster this war has been,” the senator said.Even Trump himself seemed to acknowledge Vance’s tough position.At the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, when a reporter suggested Trump was setting Vance up to take the blame for the agreement, Trump joked, “If it works out, I’m going to take the credit.If it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming JD.You better be careful, JD.”
Murphy’s Record: A Consistent Voice Against the War
Murphy’s posts on Wednesday were not a new move — they were part of a longer fight against the war that started when the U.S.
first attacked Iran in late February.From the Senate floor, Murphy was involved in over nine votes aimed at forcing the Trump administration to get approval from Congress before starting the war.Most of these votes failed along party lines.
In one early speech on the Senate floor, Murphy said the war was illegal from the start.
“Six Americans have already died for an illegal war that no one in this country wants.Nine hundred to a thousand people in the region have died.U.S.embassies all over the region are under attack.” He also said the administration’s military plan wasn’t going to work.“None of that is surprising, because a bombing campaign was NEVER going to be able to destroy Iran’s heavily bunkered missiles and nuclear assets,” Murphy said, adding that the war was “designed to fail.”
Murphy’s War Powers Fight: Repeated Defeats, Unrelenting Pressure
Even though he kept losing these votes, Murphy kept pushing, calling each one a chance to hold the administration accountable.
“It’s our only opportunity to debate the war, which is tragic,” Murphy told reporters.“And we need to continue to put Republicans on record.This war is not getting more popular as time goes on.” The most recent vote on Tuesday failed 47-48, with four Republicans — Sens.Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul — joining most Democrats in support.
Murphy was also among the Senate Democrats pushing for a debate on the AUMF, warning about the long-term effects if Congress didn’t take a stance.
On the Senate floor, he urged Republican senators to go against Trump.“I hope at some point our Republican colleagues decide that they can choose to just say what is clear and obvious: this war was a mistake.It should end as quickly as possible.You can, as a United States senator, occasionally stand up to the leader of your party if it’s a matter of right and wrong.”
“Glad the War Is Over” — With Conditions
Throughout, Murphy has been careful to separate his relief that the conflict might be ending from any support for how it happened or ended.
Even though he welcomed a stop to hostilities, he kept saying the deal’s terms support his earlier criticisms of starting the war.“I doubt that it’s real.But if what’s reported is real, it’s Iran’s terms.It’s essentially a surrender.But I think that’s the only play we can make at this point,” he told reporters earlier this week.
Murphy’s X post on Wednesday clearly showed his position — directly addressing Vance, whom he believes encouraged a war the U.S.
could never win under the terms it set.For Murphy, the deal is not proof that he was right.It’s, in his words, the final confirmation.
Murphy clearly stated his main point: giving Iran significant relief from sanctions now removes the leverage needed to get Tehran to talk about ending their nuclear program — leaving the U.S., according to Murphy, with less security, fewer tools, and a heavier cost than before the first bomb was dropped.
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