'Losing Gambler Energy': Iran's Ghalibaf Hits Back At JD Vance Over US Midterm Poll Defeat

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Thursday criticised US Vice President JD Vance after he blamed the war with Iran for the Republican Party's defeat in the midterm elections.

Ghalibaf accused the Donald Trump administration of refusing to acknowledge the consequences of the conflict. Responding to a lengthy post by Vance on X, in which the US vice president acknowledged the Republican electoral setback, the Iranian leader wrote: “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 added.

The remark appeared to be directed at US President Donald Trump and his administration's approach to the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran. His reference to an "Israel-first cliff" suggested that Washington's policy towards Tehran was coming at the expense of American interests.

The US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, killing the country's Supreme Leader. Tehran retaliated by targeting US bases in the Gulf and closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil supplies.

The developments sent crude oil and fuel prices soaring, adding to the cost-of-living pressures faced by American households. Analysts cited by the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters have identified rising energy costs and public opposition to the war as key factors behind voters turning against Republicans in the midterm elections.

What JD Vance Said About Republican Defeat In Midterm Elections

Vance's remarks came after Democrats made significant gains in the November 3 midterm elections, winning control of both the US Senate and the House of Representatives.

The results dealt a major blow to Trump and the Republican Party, with Democratic candidates also winning in several traditionally Republican states.

On Wednesday, Vance offered his assessment of the reasons behind the Republican defeat. He argued that the problem was not a lack of voter turnout but that several people who had backed Trump and Vance in the 2024 presidential election had switched their support to the Democrats.

Vance said Republican voters were dissatisfied with the administration's policies, particularly its decision to go to war with Iran. He identified four major issues that had influenced voters who abandoned the Republican Party:

• Ending the war with Iran.

• Focusing on the rising cost of living and inflation.

• Returning to the 'America First' agenda.

• Changing the US relationship with Israel.

“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance wrote.

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He also questioned whether the military campaign had been worth its political cost, pointing out that Republicans had lost control of the Senate for the next six years.

“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. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest,” he said.

The US vice president added that any honest discussion about rebuilding Republican support must begin by acknowledging the impact of the war.

Ghalibaf, Khamenei Take Aim At Trump Administration

On Wednesday, Ghalibaf also welcomed the election outcome in a separate post on X, writing: “Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message.”

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?

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) November 5, 2026

He warned Washington against ignoring the views of American voters and launching further attacks on Iran.

Iranian officials have used the Republican Party's electoral defeat to argue that the conflict has carried significant political and economic costs for the United States. However, Tehran remains concerned that Trump could order fresh military action despite the election results.

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei also responded to the developments, saying that US hostility towards Iran would continue regardless of which political party held power in Washington. He cautioned against any move towards submission to the US.

“Should such aggressions be repeated, its (the war's) scope will become much wider,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“The US sees the end of its hegemony as distant; we see it as near,” he added.

Trump Defends Military Action Against Iran

Meanwhile, Trump has continued to defend his decision to launch military action against Iran, even as he acknowledged that the conflict contributed to Republican losses in the midterm elections.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, the US president said the war was one of the factors behind the electoral setback but maintained that preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons was more important.

“I think part of it was Iran, but at the same time, people understood the importance of what I have done with Iran. Historically, it will be much more important than this evening because you can't let the number one state sponsor of terror have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, as reported earlier by HT.

He also agreed with Vance's assessment that the conflict had pushed up fuel prices, saying the rise in petrol prices had affected voters in the short term.

Trump described the vice president's social media post as good and said he was already aware of Vance's views on the war.

The US president also declined to give a clear indication of whether Vance would run for president in 2028. Asked about his vice president's political ambitions, Trump said they discussed several issues but that he did not know who would enter the presidential race.

“You can have people running, you can have a lot of people, maybe a lot of people running, maybe nobody's going to run, maybe he won't run, I don't know who's going to run,” Trump told reporters.

The conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel has also extended to other countries. Israel launched strikes on Lebanon, citing Hezbollah's involvement, while Yemen's Houthis targeted energy facilities, airports and other sites in Saudi Arabia.

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