Iranian officials hit back at Vance as Khamenei warns US hostility will persist

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticized US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday after Vance blamed the war with Iran for Republican midterm losses, accusing the Trump administration of refusing to accept the war's consequences. Vance said Republican voters abandoned the party due to the Iran war, rising living costs, and the administration's Israel policy, citing the conflict's impact on fuel prices and inflation. He acknowledged losing Senate control for six years and questioned if the war was worth that political cost. Iranian officials argued the election results showed Americans rejected war, but Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned US hostility would persist regardless of party control. Trump defended the military action, saying preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons was historically more important than the election outcome.