Trump says "a lot of people" objected to Vance's remarks blaming midterm defeat on Iran war

Washington: US President Donald Trump has addressed the political storm surrounding Vice President JD Vance's post-election analysis, acknowledging that "a lot of people" objected to his deputy's remarks attributing the midterm defeat to the Iran conflict, while maintaining that their alliance remains intact.

Speaking from Florida on Sunday, the President noted that the essay published last week, evaluating the factors that cost Republicans the midterms, had created no friction between them, though his stance evolved from his remarks the previous week, when he stated that he mostly agreed with his second-in-command.

"A lot of people didn't like his comments. But not me," Trump said. "He was right, other than one thing. He should have made one other statement. One statement that I think is very important. If you had it to do again, would you do it again? The answer is yes."


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Vice President Vance, who initially expressed reservations about launching the campaign against Tehran before hostilities commenced, declined in his Wednesday statement to endorse the conflict's outcome or deem it a worthwhile endeavour.

"If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so," he wrote. "Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest."

"But everyone knows why we lost," Vance went on. "And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there."

Shifting focus back to the diplomatic and military front concerning Tehran, US President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that fresh military strikes against Iran remain "highly unlikely", provided that ongoing negotiations continue to advance, though he stopped short of completely ruling out the prospect of further military action.

During a telephone interview with CNN, President Trump asserted that Washington had already delivered a crushing blow to Tehran, rendering additional military action "highly unlikely" to be required.

"It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement," Trump noted, addressing Iran's nuclear ambitions and the unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz.

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The US leader also maintained that American forces had mapped out critical infrastructure targets across Iran, highlighting that power plants and bridges had been identified, and boasted that authorities could destroy 38 bridges in an hour.

"Most likely it will not be necessary," Trump reiterated. "They want to make a deal so badly."

Earlier, President Trump disclosed that diplomatic channels remained active as his administration slapped fresh sanctions targeting eight Canadian firms alleged to have assisted Tehran in laundering funds via cryptocurrency networks.

"We're talking to Iran. We have been," Trump told reporters prior to leaving the White House.

Depicting the military situation as highly advantageous for the United States, the President reported that the Strait of Hormuz was reopening.

"We've beaten Iran. We are doing very well with Iran," he said.

When pressed on what message he wished to convey to Tehran, President Trump balanced his assertions of military triumph with confirmation that diplomatic contacts persisted.

The remarks coincided with an announcement from the US Treasury Department detailing sanctions against eight money services businesses operating in Canada under the banner of Operation Economic Outcast.

According to the Treasury, these enterprises swapped Iranian rials, along with other fiat currencies, for digital assets to facilitate international financial transactions for Iran. Officials added that multiple entities had engaged with blacklisted Iranian cryptocurrency exchanges or digital wallets tied directly to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

More than eight months after the initial wave of joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, President Trump has continued to project ambiguous signals regarding his stance on resolving the war. Meanwhile, Washington and Tehran remain deadlocked, with minimal headway in formal diplomatic initiatives.