Top Republican warns Trump against making a deal with Iran: 'Finish the job'

By Fox News · Fox News

A top Senate Republican is publicly pressuring President Donald Trump against pursuing what he described as a weak Iran deal as administration officials signal negotiations with Tehran are making progress . Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a sharply worded warning Thursday urging Trump not to abandon military pressure on the Iranian regime in favor of diplomacy. "We are at a moment that will define President Trump’s legacy," Wicker said in a statement. "His instincts have been to finish the job he started in Iran, but he is being ill advised to pursue a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on." REPUBLICANS URGE TRUMP TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON HIS PLAN TO DISMANTLE IRAN'S NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES "Our commander-in-chief needs to allow America's skilled armed forces to finish the destruction of Iran's conventional military capabilities and reopen the strait," Wicker went on. "Further pursuit of an agreement with Iran's Islamist regime risks a perception of weakness. We must finish what we started. It is past time for action." The remarks expose growing tension inside Republican national security circles as the Trump administration weighs whether to pursue a negotiated agreement with Iran or continue its military campaign against the Iranian regime and its nuclear capabilities. The White House could not immediately be reached for comment. Wicker’s comments came just hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged there had been "some progress" in ongoing negotiations with Iran, while cautioning that no agreement had been reached. "There's been some progress," Rubio said Thursday. "I wouldn't exaggerate it. I wouldn't diminish it." "We're not there yet," Rubio added. "I hope we get there." Rubio said key issues remain unresolved, including Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and whether Tehran would be permitted any future uranium enrichment capability under a potential agreement. "The issue of h…