Vance blames Iran war for election loss, draws Iranian retort

US Vice President JD Vance said in a social media post on Wednesday that the reason Republicans lost the midterm election was because of the Iran war and that the reason for the loss "is obvious to almost everyone."

"The reason we lost is the war," Vance said on X. "If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so."

In a surprising response to Vance's criticism of the war, US President Donald Trump agreed, even as he insisted on his own stance.

"I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up," Trump said, "At the same time, if I had to do it again, I'd have to do it again because long-term. It's the only answer. You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon."

Trump also said he was aware of Vance's view on the matter, saying that he knows "how he (Vance) feels about it." He also told reporters that he felt fine about Vance's statement, adding, "I think it was fine; I thought it was good."

Following Republicans' midterm election defeat, people in Tehran set fire to a banner bearing an image of Trump and other US and Israeli officials, in a symbolic protest against these two governments.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf snapped back at Vance's X post, saying the US has lost "gambler energy" and "can't walk away from the table."

(With input from agencies)