Lindsey Graham says he is “concerned” Iran and the U.S. see the agreed Hormuz deal differently

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he is “concerned” that the United States and Iran hold “different” views of the deal they have agreed to, even as he said he was “pleased to hear” a memorandum of understanding has been reached to allow the Strait of Hormuz to open.

Graham made the remarks in comments reported by The Hill on Sunday, describing his reaction to what he characterized as an agreed framework between the two governments involving commercial and strategic access through the Strait of Hormuz. Graham did not, in the account provided, offer additional publicly detailed terms from the memorandum or explain how he believes the two sides’ interpretations differ.

In the same set of remarks, Graham tied his concern to the prospect that different understandings could affect implementation of the arrangement. He said the U.S. and Iranian governments appear to have adopted different positions regarding the agreement, according to the report.

The statement also reflected Graham’s view that the agreement would need to be handled in a way that aligns shared expectations about what “opening” the Strait of Hormuz would mean in practice. The report did not include specific operational measures, enforcement mechanisms, or a timeline for when the memorandum would take effect.

Graham’s comments come amid heightened attention in Congress to U.S. policy toward Iran and to shipping and energy chokepoints. Members of Congress have frequently argued that U.S. commitments related to the Middle East must be translated into clear, enforceable steps to reduce the risk of miscalculation, though the provided report does not cite any additional legislative or administrative action by name.

The Hill’s report frames Graham’s reaction as a response to the existence of an agreed memorandum of understanding and to his concern about differing views between Washington and Tehran, including how those views relate to the Trump administration and the current U.S. approach. Graham’s remarks, as described, focus on interpretation risk rather than on any new congressional vote or formal legislative action.

Graham’s comments do not identify whether he is seeking additional briefings or whether any Senate process, oversight hearing, or legislation is being prepared in response, and the provided information does not include details from any official text of the memorandum of understanding.

Next steps, based on what is publicly described in the report, would depend on whether the memorandum’s language is released, how U.S. officials explain the agreement to Congress, and whether both governments publicly or privately clarify their understanding of the conditions and enforcement of the arrangements related to the Strait of Hormuz.