US VP Vance says Iran war is 'the reason we lost' midterms

US Vice President JD Vance has blamed the Iran war for the Republican Party's losses in the recent midterm elections, distancing himself from the unpopular conflict ahead of a potential 2028 presidential bid. In a lengthy post on X, Vance attributed the party's defeat to the war, echoing President Donald Trump's remarks that the conflict was "part of it," though he maintained that the war was still justified.

Vance challenged Republicans to argue whether losing the Senate for the next six years was worth the cost. The Democratic surge in the midterms has cast doubt on Vance's previous frontrunner status for the 2028 Republican nomination. Vance, known for his criticism of US foreign interventionism, reportedly had reservations about the Iran war, which was launched by Trump and Israel in late February.

He admitted that Republican voters who supported Trump and himself during the 2024 election switched allegiance to the Democrats in 2026 due to the war's impact on the US economy and their desire to alter the relationship with Israel.