Trump blames Iran war for midterm losses but would do it again

Republican losses in the US midterms have left the future of Washington's military campaign against Iran uncertain.

President Donald Trump said it was largely true that the war with Iran was the main reason Republicans lost, and that fuel price rises as a result of the war were a big reason. BBC Two reported that Trump also said that if he had it to do again, he would, because Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

BBC Two reported that Vice-President J.D. Vance, a possible contender for 2028, posted that "the reason we lost is the war", in an apparent break with Trump. Sohrab Ahmari, a friend and confidant of Vance, told BBC Two's Newsnight that Vance had been privately sceptical of the 2026 invasion and that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had contributed to the affordability crisis.

Sky News reported that John Bolton said Trump "doesn't have the slightest idea what he's going to do on Iran". Bolton said the options ranged from declaring victory and going home to resuming significant strikes, possibly with Israel, or launching another major attack on Iran's nuclear facilities and then claiming victory.

Before the vote, BBC Two broadcast an interview with Hunter Biden in which he said he had heard the administration was considering deploying a tactical nuclear weapon against Iran. He said Trump was "flat out saying, after Tuesday, all bets are off" and that he did not know who would stop him.

BBC Two also carried reaction from Republican Congressman Michael Baumgartner, who said the war had affected fuel prices but that the trade-off was preventing "a group of jihadists having a nuclear weapon".