Newsmax guest on the MOU: “This is such a lopsided deal and the losses for President Trump are just mounting up”
Robert Pape: “This is a road map for Iran to achieve regional primacy”
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Citation
From the June 17, 2026, edition of Newsmax's Greg Kelly Reports
ROB FINNERTY (HOST): Alright, so, the media here all day on this Iran deal, and this one question, are we really going to give Iran $300 billion? Everyone in Washington claims that we're not, that our Middle East partners are going to do it if Iran behaves themselves. A $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran according to this 14-point peace plan we saw today, and all day I've heard the same thing. Don't worry. That money's going to come from Qatar. Qatar's going to do it. And you just expect me to sit there and nod my head like a sock puppet. Like, yep. OK. Qatar's going to do it. Iran attacked Qatar. Why would Qatar ever give Iran $300 billion? Seriously, think about that. Why? We think these are fair questions to be asking right now before this deal becomes final. Why would anyone give Iran any money? Like a dime. Like $300 billion. I don't buy it. I don't. It's my job not to buy it except for this, maybe it is the only way to end this war now.
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FINNERTY: Robert Pape is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. Professor, nice to have you. The left is knocking this deal. I expected that. Where are you on what just happened today?
ROBERT PAPE (GUEST): Well, first, I want to be clear. I believe that America should be number one. I believe that we should be the strongest, healthiest, most secure country on the planet. This deal does not do that. Now, there's been a lot of speculation. We now have the actual MOU. President Trump, you're showing, actually signed it.
Let's just look in the next 60 days. Let's not worry about this 300 billion yet. This now — this current MOU now makes it absolutely crystal clear that in the next 60 days, Iran is going to get somewhere around $30 billion. Let's just be clear about that. They're going to make about $10 billion next 60 days just selling oil, and we're totally going to let them do that.
And also, we're saying that as soon as that signature happens on Friday, where the other side also signed, we unfreeze their assets. And we already know that is unfreezing something like 12 billion upfront and another 12 billion at the end of the 60 days. Think of that as a signing bonus and then a completion bonus. And that's just 60 days. Think about that.
That's what we — now what does Iran do? They say they will let the ships pass through Hormuz, no fees for 60 days. But then what do we get after 60 days? In the MOU, and this was what was hidden until today in the White House version, the MOU says Iran is going to start charging fees after 60 days. And it says so in the MOU that President Trump just signed.
FINNERTY: Yeah. They use the word fees, not tolls.
PAPE: So this is a deal that only gets worse for America.
FINNERTY: Yeah. Do you think it'll get to 60 days? Do you think we will get to that 60 day point? To me, this is just —
PAPE: I'm very concerned that there's this is such a lopsided deal and the losses for President Trump are just mounting up and he can have a nice smile on his face and he can try — but look, this is Iran — this is a road map for Iran to achieve regional primacy.
FINNERTY: Well, professor —
PAPE: This is what this is. And this will not hold up well —
FINNERTY: Professor, they'll eventually have to —
PAPE: By the Republicans. I don't mean the Democrats.