'Skip the TED talk, tell your boss': Iran's speaker mocks Vance over midterm defeat analysis
Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has mocked US Vice President JD Vance over a long social media post analysing the Republican Party's midterm election defeat. In a post on X on Thursday, Ghalibaf replied to Vance's 614-word missive.
'Losing gambler energy, can't walk away from the table. Boss is prepping the next war phase while America teeters on an Israel-First cliff. Skip the TED talk. Why not say this to your boss?' Ghalibaf wrote.
Vance published his post on X less than 24 hours after the Republicans suffered an election wipeout. In the message, which he personally drafted, he conceded that the American-Israeli war on Iran caused the Republican Party's midterm election meltdown this week.
Vance pointed to four things that needed to happen for voters to return to the party in future ballots: first, end the war; second, focus on cost of living and inflation; third, put America First; and fourth, change the relationship with Israel.
Vance stated directly that 'the reason we lost is the war.' President Donald Trump, however, has been insistent that the conflict is necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The post marked Vance's first post-election attempt to distance himself from a war that Trump has repeatedly defended.
The United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28 this year, killing much of its top leadership. Tehran retaliated by attacking US targets in the Middle East and closing off the Strait of Hormuz — a vital maritime chokepoint for the supply of oil and gas — by threatening ships attempting to traverse the waterway.
The standoff drove up the price of fuels and fertilizer, which raised the cost of living in the United States and contributed to a brutal electoral environment for the Republicans, who suffered a generational defeat on Tuesday night.
