Vance: We lost over Iran and Israel

In a lengthy post on social media, Vance wrote:

"The real reason for our loss is clear to almost everyone. A pollster, one of the smartest people I know in the political arena, told me yesterday that we would lose by a 13-point margin on the generic ballot. I went into Tuesday with a grim feeling, but even I was shocked by that number. In his polling, he identified that many voters who supported Trump in 2024 are angry and planning to vote Democrat. He asked those same voters who abandoned us: what would bring them back to our ranks? The four leading answers, comprising almost all the responses, were:

1) Ending the war

2) Focusing on the cost of living/inflation

3) Putting 'America First'

4) Changing our relationship with Israel

Our voters came to the polls. And these four reasons are why many of them voted Democrat, according to a pollster who accurately predicted the results."

He continued: "The reason for our loss is the war. The President himself said so last night. If you want to argue that it was justified, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth the price, do so. Argue that it was a price worth paying. Whether you agree or not, at least that's an honest position.

But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest discussion about the way forward must start from this point."

Vance's statement comes a day after Democrats achieved an outright majority in both houses of Congress, forcing President Donald Trump to contend with an opposition with significant power to block legislation, budgets and appointments. The results are raising concern among Israel supporters, particularly in light of the election of Abdul El-Sayed, the anti-Israel progressive candidate, as the first Muslim senator in American history.

Diplomatic contacts with Iran in parallel

Paradoxically, while Vance points to the Iran war as one of the reasons for the defeat, it turns out he himself is conducting diplomatic contacts with Tehran. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Vance reached out in a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in an attempt to explore the possibility of resuming negotiations.

The letter was sent at Trump's direction and with his full knowledge, to test whether understandings could be reached that would prevent another round of fighting. Rezaei is considered a central figure in the hawkish camp within the Iranian regime and one of Mojtaba Khamenei's confidants, and the American administration assesses that direct communication with him could help advance agreements.

Iran confirmed receiving the letter but has not yet responded. In a statement, they said "we emphasize the need for the US to implement the seven conditions that Iran has set. Any position that could harm this framework is unacceptable." Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, also issued a statement threatening that "if the US renews acts of aggression, the Iranian response will be much stronger."

Distance from Netanyahu

Regarding Israel, Vance chose not to join Trump's statement of support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a recent interview, Vance clarified that "I express support for American candidates, and that's my focus, the midterm elections. I don't interfere in Israeli elections."

These statements raise questions about the future of relations between the Trump administration and Israel, especially given that the Democrats, who won a majority in Congress, now include critical voices toward America's traditional pro-Israel policy. Further updates to follow.