Iran’s parliament speaker mocks Vance over midterm defeat post

Iran's parliamentary speaker mocked U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday for his social media post conceding that the American-Israeli war on Iran caused the Republican Party's midterm election defeat this week. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticized Vance's 614-word message on X, urging him to address President Donald Trump directly instead of offering analysis. Vance listed four steps for voter recovery, including ending the war and changing the U.S. relationship with Israel, marking his first post-election distancing from the conflict. The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, decapitating its leadership, but Tehran retaliated by targeting U.S. assets and threatening the Strait of Hormuz, raising fuel and fertilizer costs. This contributed to the Republicans' generational defeat, though Trump maintains the war is necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.