Vance blames Iran war for GOP losses; Khamenei sees no U.S. shift

Vance wrote on Thursday that voters who backed Trump in 2024 switched to Democrats despite strong Republican turnout, and said private polling he cited listed "End the war" first among four reasons former Trump voters abandoned Republicans. He warned against blaming the administration’s immigration policies: "The reason we lost is the war," he wrote. Ghalibaf responded that Washington was "prepping the next war phase while America teeters on an Israel-First cliff." Khamenei said in a statement on his website that those expecting U.S. behavior to change through partisan shifts were "seriously mistaken."

Iran’s IRGC Navy said the two tankers caught fire in separate incidents after attempting to use "unauthorized" shipping routes, and that a tugboat trying to extinguish the fire also caught fire. The UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that a tanker was struck by two unidentified projectiles about 50 nautical miles north of Madinat Al-Shamal, Qatar; the crew’s condition and damage were unconfirmed.

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned individuals and companies in India and Turkey over alleged support for Iran’s oil and aviation sectors. The Treasury said the campaign had contributed to the collapse of Iran’s currency and a nearly 90% rise in inflation. Dubai-based Emirates Group reported a 66% drop in after-tax profits, to $1 billion, as the war disrupted air travel and raised fuel costs.