What the US midterm results mean for the Iran war
Republicans lost both chambers of Congress, and Vice President JD Vance blamed the Iran war. Donald Trump says he would do it again, while Iran says the US has still not met its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Andaleb Youns · Newsroom Intern, Cohort 1
2 min read
Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress in the US midterm elections on 3 November, and some of Donald Trump's own allies are now blaming the war with Iran.
"The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night," Vice President JD Vance wrote on X on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported. The BBC also reported Vance's comments.
Trump admitted the war was partly to blame for the losses, according to The Wall Street Journal, but he defended it. "I did the right thing. I would have done it again," he told the paper. News reports also pointed to the high cost of living as a reason for the result.
Strikes continue
The vote has not ended the fighting. On Tuesday, as Americans voted, US forces struck Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, the first US attack there since June, Al Jazeera reported. US officials called the strikes "defensive" and said they targeted surface-to-air missiles.
[CHECK] A senior official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said: "He is planning to bomb Iran. Don't listen to what he's saying. He held off because of the midterms."
[CHECK] Trump said he was "not looking to ... kill lots of people," but added: "If we have to, we'll have to," Reuters reported.
Iran's conditions
Iran has called the latest US response to its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz "unconvincing," Al Jazeera reported.
[CHECK] Mohsen Rezaei, a senior Iranian official, told Reuters that the US "must fully and explicitly address Iran's seven conditions and act upon them. Only in this case will the Strait of Hormuz be reopened."
What comes next
Trump remains president for two more years, and the new Democratic Congress takes office in January. He has said he does not regret the war, CBS News reported. Whether the US pushes for a deal or returns to wider strikes is now the main question for the region.
Sources
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Andaleb YounsAndaleb Youns is a writer, researcher and literature enthusiast with a passion for storytelling and meaningful content.
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