Vice President JD Vance acknowledged on social media that the war with Iran was the primary driver behind the midterm losses, noting that previous 2024 supporters had defected to Democratic candidates. Citing pollster data, Vance pointed to opposition to the conflict, cost-of-living worries, dissatisfaction with America First policies, and calls to reshape ties with Israel. In response, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf ridiculed Vance on X, accusing the administration of preparing for further conflict while standing on an "Israel-First cliff."
Key points
Vice President Vance identified the ongoing military conflict with Iran as the central is…: Vice President Vance identified the ongoing military conflict with Iran as the central issue driving the midterm defeat.
Iranian leadership framed the administration's public post-election analysis as an attemp…: Iranian leadership framed the administration's public post-election analysis as an attempt to prepare for the next phase of the war.
Discontent with the foreign policy stance toward Israel contributed significantly to vote…: Discontent with the foreign policy stance toward Israel contributed significantly to voter defections away from the Republican ticket.
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Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has openly mocked US vice president over his post on X following a less than ideal midterm election defeat, comparing him to a gambler unable to walk away from a losing bet.
In a post on X responding to Vance's lengthy assessment of the election results, Ghalibaf wrote: “Losing gambler energy, can't walk away from the table.” He accused the US administration of preparing for the next phase of the war while America was “teetering on an Israel-First cliff”.
“Skip the TED talk. Why not say this to your boss?” he added.
Ghalibaf was responding to Vance's post in which the vice president acknowledged that the Iran war had contributed to Republican losses, arguing that many voters who supported president Donald Trump and Vance in 2024 had switched to Democratic candidates in the midterms.
Vance said the main problem was not voter turnout, as Republican supporters had largely turned out to vote, but that a significant section of the party's previous supporters had voted against it.
Citing feedback from a pollster who had accurately…
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