Joe Scarborough criticized President Donald Trump for omitting Iran’s missile program from a memorandum of understanding, calling the agreement a betrayal [1, 2].
The dispute centers on whether the U.S. is providing Iran a path to develop ballistic missiles, a move that critics say undermines regional security and contradicts the goals of American allies in the Middle East.
During a broadcast of "Morning Joe" on June 10, 2026 [1], Scarborough said the omission of the missile program was "frightening" [3]. He said the deal allows Iran to continue its ballistic missile development, which he described as a devastating outcome for U.S. foreign policy [3].
Scarborough highlighted the tension between this agreement and the interests of the U.S.'s partners in the Gulf region. “That is the antithesis of what those Gulf region states have been saying,” Scarborough said [1].
He characterized the memorandum as a "desperate" move [2]. In his assessment of the strategic impact, Scarborough said, “This desperate Iran deal is a betrayal — we’ve basically lost the war” [2].
Follow-up reporting on the criticism continued through June 17 and 18, 2026 [3, 4]. The discourse has highlighted a rift regarding the administration's approach to Iranian aggression and the specific terms of the memorandum of understanding, particularly the lack of restrictions on missile technology [4].
Throughout the segment, Scarborough emphasized that the failure to address the missile program represents a fundamental shift in the conflict. He said the U.S. has effectively lost the war by allowing these terms to stand [2, 3].
““This desperate Iran deal is a betrayal — we’ve basically lost the war.””
This conflict reflects a deeper tension between the administration's desire for a diplomatic resolution with Iran and the security requirements of Gulf-state allies. By omitting ballistic missile restrictions from the memorandum of understanding, the U.S. risks alienating regional partners who view such capabilities as an existential threat, potentially shifting the balance of power in the Middle East.
