US and Iran inch closer to peace deal as Trump faces criticism from GOP hawks

American president says he is not rushing into a deal after proposed plan to end war prompts Republican backlashMiddle East crisis: live updatesDonald Trump defended himself against criticism from fellow Republicans on Sunday as he appeared on the verge of agreeing a deal with Iran to end the war.As hawks in his party called the proposed agreement a disaster and questioned why the US president had launched the conflict in the first place, Trump claimed on social media that his deal would be “THE EXACT OPPOSITE” of the one agreed by Barack Obama, which Trump pulled out of in 2018.