Sen. Tim Sheehy Doubts Iran Will Negotiate in Good Faith Despite Progress in Trump Administration Talks

Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) expressed deep skepticism Monday about ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran, arguing that the Iranian regime cannot be trusted to honor any agreement despite recent signs of progress touted by the Trump administration.
Speaking during an appearance on Fox & Friends, Sheehy said he hopes diplomatic efforts led by Vice President JD Vance will ultimately succeed. However, he warned that his expectations remain low because he believes Iran’s ruling regime has no intention of negotiating honestly.
“We are dealing with a regime that will not negotiate in good faith. They want you and I dead and all of us to be gone,” Sheehy said. “And they don’t want that to happen with the snap of a finger — they want it to happen like October 7th, times a million.”
The Montana senator was referencing the 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, in which roughly 1,200 people were killed and hundreds of hostages were taken into Gaza. Sheehy cited the attack as an example of the kind of violence he believes Iran and its allies ultimately seek.
Continuing his remarks, Sheehy told Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade that Iran’s long-term objective remains unchanged.
“They want us to be wiped off the map,” he said.
His comments came just hours after Vice President Vance offered an upbeat assessment of negotiations held over the weekend in Switzerland. According to Vance, the talks produced what he described as meaningful progress toward a lasting agreement between Washington and Tehran.
“This is probably what we’re most excited about as Americans,” Vance said Monday. “The Iranians have agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into their country. That is a major milestone for the American people, and the first step in permanently denuclearizing or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran.”
Vance characterized the development as a significant achievement and said it represented exactly what the administration had hoped to accomplish through negotiations.
“And that’s exactly what we wanted to do. That’s exactly what we asked to happen,” he said.
The vice president later described the outcome of the talks as a “very, very good day.”
The differing reactions from Vance and Sheehy underscore the ongoing debate among Republicans about how much confidence should be placed in diplomatic agreements with adversarial governments. While administration officials point to concrete steps such as renewed international inspections, skeptics remain concerned about whether those commitments will endure.
Sheehy made clear that he supports both the administration’s military actions against Iran and its current effort to pursue a negotiated settlement. He praised President Trump’s decision to strike Iran and expressed appreciation for the administration’s continued attempts to secure a long-term agreement.
At the same time, the senator cautioned that any deal could serve as a temporary pause rather than a permanent solution. He said he believes Iran may simply be seeking additional time and could resume pursuing a nuclear weapon after President Trump leaves office.
The remarks reflect the difficult balance facing policymakers as they seek to reduce tensions through diplomacy while remaining wary of a regime many critics view as fundamentally hostile. Even as negotiators report progress, questions remain about whether lasting peace can be secured without allowing future threats to reemerge.
For now, the administration is highlighting what it sees as a breakthrough, while skeptics like Sheehy continue to warn that caution remains essential when dealing with Tehran.