Former Vice President Harris Says Iran Deal Could Hurt Republicans in Midterms

Former Vice President Kamala Harris criticized a preliminary agreement between U.S. officials and Iran during a public appearance at the Austrian World Summit in Vienna on Tuesday. Harris said the deal represented a war the American people did not want and called it a war of choice.

She added that the president who negotiated it had proven to be self-indulgent and predicted voters would judge the outcome in the midterm elections. "This is a war the American people did not want. This is a War of Choice. This is a president who has proven himself to be entirely self-indulgent.

And we will see what happens in the coming hours and days in terms of the negotiation. And really, it's a concept of an agreement," said Harris at the Austrian World Summit hosted by the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative.

The memorandum of understanding has not been released.

Administration officials said it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, halt Iranian nuclear weapons development, and end support for terrorism. Harris said whatever the final terms, the president would declare victory in terms similar to the earlier nuclear agreement that had been withdrawn from.

Harris linked the agreement to higher fuel costs, saying the average American had spent an estimated $500 more on gasoline since the conflict began. Oil prices fell on Monday to their lowest levels since early March after the preliminary agreement raised hopes that traffic through the Strait could soon return to normal.

Harris said Republicans entering the November midterm elections face concerns over elevated gas and grocery prices. She expressed confidence that Democrats would win the midterms with support from voters of every background. The agreement gives Iran a 60-day period to demonstrate it has abandoned nuclear ambitions and support for terrorist organizations in exchange for economic relief.