Rep. Brian Mast says Iran framework must show 'change in behavior' and that he has not seen the text

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Mast said he has not seen the actual text of a reported U.S.-Iran framework and that any agreement must produce verifiable changes in Tehran’s behavior.

"I have not yet seen actual text," Mast said. "Everything is about change in behavior." He listed specific expectations: a halt to uranium enrichment, an end to Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile work, and a cessation of support for proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. He said freedom of navigation through the Straits of Hormuz must also be protected.

Mast made the comments in a televised interview after the host played a clip of former President Barack Obama, who said it was "doubtful that any agreement that arises is going to be significantly different or a significant improvement from the deal that we had in the first place." Mast disputed the notion that a new framework could simply replicate the earlier 2015 JCPOA, centering his critique on whether Tehran would change conduct rather than on technical provisions alone.

Mast credited recent U.S. military operations — which he described as "Epic Fury" — with shifting Iran’s calculations. He asserted that, in the roughly 30 months before those operations began, "the United States of America was attacked over 350 times," citing incidents against merchant vessels and attacks in Jordan, Syria and Iraq that he said resulted in U.S. casualties. He offered that history as part of his rationale for demanding concrete behavioral changes from Tehran.

On the disputed question of whether the United States would unfreeze Iranian funds, Mast said he did not require a formal written pledge from the administration that funds would remain frozen. "Do I want it to happen? No, not necessarily. I want maximum damage inflicted on Iran," he said. But he added that unfreezing assets or easing sanctions could be considered conditionally if Tehran met verifiable commitments on proxies, the nuclear program and navigation rights.

The host also played a clip of Vice President JD Vance disputing widely circulated figures: "They say they're going to get $24 billion in frozen funds if they hit certain benchmarks," Vance said in the clip. "That $24 billion just doesn't appear anywhere in any of the texts that we've talked about with the Iranians." Mast echoed a cautious stance, saying discussions about unfreezing assets are on the table but must be tied to demonstrable change.

Asked about reports of a rift between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mast described the two leaders as "very close allies" but acknowledged that leaders sometimes disagree as they put their countries first. He said negotiations over Iran involve a wide array of international actors, including Gulf states and European partners, and that the situation remains complicated.

Mast said he had exchanged signals with National Security Council staff and ambassadors involved in the talks but reiterated he had not been shown the draft text. The interview closed after the chairman repeated that the key test of any framework will be whether it produces measurable, verifiable changes in Iranian behavior.

The interview did not include any formal votes or committee actions; Mast described his own viewpoint and the international context but reported no committee-level decision or legislative step taken during the conversation.