A sharp public feud broke out inside conservative circles Saturday night after White House Communications Director Steven Cheung blasted former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for attacking the Trump administration’s newly announced — though still unfinished — peace framework with Iran.
The dispute highlighted growing tensions among Republicans over how aggressively the United States should approach the long-running standoff with Tehran, with some hawks demanding a harder line while others appear willing to give diplomacy a chance after years of costly instability in the region.
In a fiery post on X, Cheung unloaded on Pompeo, who served as President Donald Trump’s top diplomat for much of his first term.
“Mike Pompeo has no idea what the f*ck he’s talking about,” Cheung wrote. “He should shut his stupid mouth and leave the real work to the professionals. He’s not read into anything that’s happening, so how would he know.”
The extraordinary rebuke came just hours after Pompeo publicly condemned the proposed arrangement with Iran, arguing that the deal being discussed resembled previous foreign policy efforts that many conservatives spent years criticizing.
“The deal being floated with Iran seems straight out of the Wendy Sherman-Robert Malley-Ben Rhodes playbook: Pay the IRGC to build a WMD program and terrorize the world,” Pompeo wrote on X. “Not remotely America First.”
Pompeo went on to advocate a far more aggressive posture toward the Iranian regime, calling for the United States to “Open the damned strait,” deny Iran access to money, and “take out enough Iranian capability so it cannot threaten our allies in the region.”
“Overdue. Let’s go,” he concluded.
The debate underscores the difficult balancing act facing the Trump administration as it attempts to navigate a volatile Middle East landscape while also confronting pressure from conservatives who remain deeply skeptical of any negotiations involving Tehran.
Pompeo was not alone in voicing concern. Several prominent conservatives have reportedly criticized the framework, arguing the United States risks handing major concessions to a regime long viewed by Republicans as hostile to American interests.
Among the loudest critics was Ted Cruz, who warned that any agreement allowing Iran to retain significant power or financial resources could have dangerous consequences.
“If the result … is to be an Iranian regime—still run by Islamists who chant ‘death to America’—now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake,” Cruz wrote on X.
At the center of the controversy is a proposed peace deal that remains incomplete and not yet finalized, leaving many questions unanswered about what concessions or guarantees may ultimately be included.
Still, the heated rhetoric from both sides reflects a broader divide within the conservative movement over foreign policy priorities. Some Republicans continue pushing for maximum pressure and military deterrence against Iran, while others appear wary of deeper confrontation after years of conflict and instability across the Middle East.
For now, the Trump White House appears determined to press ahead despite criticism from some of the president’s own former allies — setting the stage for what could become another major internal battle over America’s role abroad.
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