O'Reilly Calls Trump's Iran Deal 'Plan B' After Initial Strategy Failed

Political commentator Bill O'Reilly characterized the Trump administration's Iran deal as "plan B" on Wednesday, stating that the initial strategy to overthrow Iran's leadership had not succeeded. Speaking on NewsNation's "Cuomo," O'Reilly explained that "plan A was kill the leadership and the people will rise up and we'll get rid of them once and for all. It didn't work," referring to Trump's early calls for the Iranian people to overthrow the Islamic Republic regime.

The 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Iran was signed Wednesday by President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and took immediate effect, according to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The agreement calls for an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Under the terms, the U.S. would lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports within 30 days, while Iran commits to reopening the Strait of Hormuz within the same timeframe. The administration would unfreeze Iranian assets, lift sanctions including those on oil exports, and establish a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran tied to nuclear concessions. Trump stated the U.S. is "not investing" in the fund, which Iran can only access if "they're doing things right."

The two sides have a 60-day window to negotiate further provisions, though Trump noted this is not a "hard deadline." Additional nuclear program negotiations may take place this weekend. Despite O'Reilly's endorsement of the deal as "the best thing" for the U.S. given economic impacts from the conflict—particularly rising gas prices from Iranian restrictions on Strait of Hormuz shipping—members of Congress from both parties have expressed concerns about the agreement, criticizing what they view as excessive concessions on Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missile stockpile.