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White House says ex-Secretary of State Pompeo should ‘shut his stupid mouth’ on Iran
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White House Communications Director Steven Cheung blasted former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for criticizing a deal being negotiated by the Trump administration to end the Iran war, telling the one-time Trump ally to “shut his stupid mouth.” Cheung wrote that Pompeo “has no idea what the f— he’s talking about,” after Pompeo wrote in a post on X that the deal being floated was “not remotely America First.” “Mike Pompeo has no idea what the f— he’s talking about,” Cheung wrote in his salty response. “He should shut his stupid mouth and leave the real work to the professionals. He’s not read into anything that’s happening, so how would he know.” Cheung’s post came in response to criticism from Pompeo comparing the emerging deal to one that would have been negotiated by Obama-era officials. The Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama team and have frequently criticized that agreement. “The deal being floated with Iran seems straight out of the Wendy Sherman-Robert Malley-Ben Rhodes playbook: Pay the IRGC to build a WMD program and terrorize the world,” Pompeo wrote. “Not remotely America First. It’s straightforward: Open the damned strait. Deny Iran access to money. Take out enough Iranian capability so it cannot threaten our allies in the region. Overdue. Let’s go.” Malley was the lead negotiator on the Obama-era deal while Sherman was a State Department official and Rhodes was Obama’s national security adviser. Pompeo was one of several conservatives on Saturday criticizing what appears to be an emerging deal to end the Iran war. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also offered criticisms. Few concrete details of the deal were public Saturday, thought it appeared it would include a commitment by Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil supply flows. Gas prices in the United States have shot up as a result of the Iran war, piling pressure on the Trump administration to find an end to the conflict. The deal also appeared likely to end a U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports. But the deal did not appear as if it would include any immediate limitations on Iran’s nuclear program. Reports suggested it would lead to a 60-day ceasefire to buy time for further negotiations on the nuclear issue. That appeared to trigger much of the criticism from Senate conservatives and Pompeo. “Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.” Pompeo worked for Trump during his first term, but appeared to fall out with the president after contemplating a run for the White House himself. Trump pulled security protection for Pompeo and other officials he’d tangled with upon taking office in 2025, despite threats from Iran on the former secretary of State. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.