U.S. Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio described a “stark difference” between the Obama-era JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran, from which President Trump withdrew the U.S. during his first term, and the current state of Iran-U.S. negotiations, which at present hinge on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in June.
[NOTE: The US and Iran signed a 14-point MOU on June 17, agreeing to an immediate ceasefire and to initiate 60 days of negotiations to reach a permanent peace deal. Negotiations have since been hindered by disagreements over control of the Strait of Hormuz, continued military attacks, and the future of Iran’s nuclear program.]
Kamlager-Dove relayed her interpretation of Rubio’s bipartisan briefing to the committee, saying that Rubio “was basically explaining to us all the shenanigans with this Iran deal.”
Kamlager-Dove said, “Marco Rubio said something really important when asked about Obama’s Iran deal and the difference between that and this MOU, he said ‘there’s a very stark difference — the JCPOA, that nuclear deal, was real. It was a signed, negotiated, detailed agreement with timelines, with criteria, with benchmarks.'”
Appearing to paraphrase, Kamlager-Dove then quoted Rubio as saying “and this MOU, it’s just a letter that we signed to say we’re going to continue to talk about talking.”
BREAKING NEWS: Marco Rubio admitted that Trump’s Iran MOU has no teeth pic.twitter.com/3AFsqYuv8r
— Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (@RepKamlagerDove) June 29, 2026
In an interview after the meeting, Kamlager-Dove used some of the same language to describe Rubio’s assessment, and labeled Rubio’s characterization of the MOU as the “highlight, or lowlight” — in her opinion — of the briefing.
Kamlager-Dove on Rubio Iran Briefing: I have to say, the highlight—or lowlight—for me was when Secretary Rubio was asked about the difference between this MOU and the JCPOA. And Marco Rubio essentially said the JCPOA, Obama’s nuclear deal, was a real agreement with criteria,… pic.twitter.com/lwrulT9Hma
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 30, 2026
Kamlager-Dove’s account does not contradict the administration’s previous position about the MOU, which it has described as a framework to be fleshed out over the 60-day cease-fire period. Trump’s Special Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff also briefed Congress with Rubio.
According to a Politico report, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) asked Rubio and Witkoff about the lifting of Iranian oil sanctions during a separate call on Monday and said they “confirmed to me that Iran will reap billions in oil revenue while retaining dangerous leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.”
