Trump Calls June Iran Deal a ‘Big Mistake’; Vance Favors Dialogue
Following a major Republican defeat in the midterm elections largely blamed the conflict with Iran, U.S. Vice President JD Vance is considering direct negotiations with Tehran to end the war. Backed by President Donald Trump, Mr. Vance has replaced special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to lead this diplomatic push with a top Iranian security official, according to The Wall Street Journal. While Mr. Vance openly blamed the conflict for the electoral loss, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Chief of Staff Stephen Miller continued to defend the military campaign and favor maintaining a strict naval blockade until Iran capitulated.
Despite privately calling a previous Vance-brokered Memorandum of Understanding with Iran a major mistake for allowing Tehran to regroup and sell oil, President Trump has pubvancelicly maintained a hardline stance. Speaking at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, Mr. Trump insisted the U.S. would not back down until the adversary was completely defeated. ‘We don’t want 93 percent, we want a 100 percent victory. The war will end soon,’ Mr. Trump declared. Since the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes began on February 28, Pentagon data shows 23 U.S. service members have been killed and hundreds wounded, a toll former Mossad chief David Barnea admitted has hurt Trump at the ballot box.
Meanwhile, Tehran has flatly rejected any diplomatic overtures. Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary-General of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen television that no talks are underway, dismissing reports of a planned meeting in Qatar as falsehoods and propaganda. Mr. Rezaei warned that renewed U.S. attacks would trigger retaliatory strikes not only on regional bases, but also on distant American installations in Europe. He stressed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz requires Washington to accept Iran’s seven-point demands, including lifting sanctions, paying war reparations, and ensuring the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon.
Amid the escalating rhetoric, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) struck ship navigation infrastructure on Oman’s Didama Island in the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported. Although European Union satellite imagery confirmed smoke and fire at the site, which supports regional oil exports, maritime analysts noted that commercial shipping will face limited disruption due to existing backup systems.
Sources: The Times of Israel, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
