Iran war divides Republicans after midterm defeat

WASHINGTON

U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing renewed strikes on Iran despite an election defeat that has prompted public criticism from Vice President JD Vance and an impeachment push against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Democrats won the House of Representatives and Senate in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Their majorities take office in January, giving the party control of congressional committees that can investigate the administration’s conduct of the war.

Speaking to reporters on Nov. 5, Trump said a decision on further military action would come soon.

“I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to,” he said.

Vance had offered a blunt assessment of the election a day earlier: “The reason we lost is the war.”

In a lengthy post on X, the vice president said voters who supported Trump in 2024 had switched to Democrats. Citing a pollster’s findings, he said those voters wanted an end to the war, greater attention to living costs, a focus on American interests and a change in relations with Israel.

Vance also pointed to advice urging the administration to resolve the conflict diplomatically, arguing that those warnings had proved politically sound.

He challenged supporters of the war to acknowledge its electoral cost.

Trump acknowledged on Nov. 4 that Vance’s assessment was “largely true” because the conflict had pushed up gasoline prices. But he defended his decision to attack Iran, saying it was necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

“If I had it to do again, I’d have to do it again,” Trump said.

An Associated Press voter survey found that about six in 10 voters thought attacking Iran was the wrong decision.

However, only about a third described the war as crucial to their congressional vote, compared with roughly half who said that about living costs or government corruption.

Trump’s options include further strikes, a negotiated agreement or continued pressure through the naval blockade and economic sanctions.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has favored maintaining sanctions and the blockade, Axios reported.

Rubio separately denied reports that he planned to resign to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. He told The New York Times on Nov. 5 that serving until the end of Trump’s term had “always been my plan.”

The immediate congressional pressure has focused on Hegseth.

Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky said he would pursue Hegseth’s impeachment unless he resigned, telling CNN he planned to force a House vote when Congress returns next week. That would put the issue before the current Republican-led chamber.

CNN, citing Republican lawmakers and allies speaking anonymously, reported that some blamed Hegseth for overstating the prospects of a quick victory and advocating escalation without a clear exit strategy.

Trump has publicly defended Hegseth’s performance.

White House officials told CNN the president wanted him to resist impeachment efforts and investigations into his decisions.

In a video posted on Nov. 5, Hegseth dismissed the effort as “the politics of personal destruction.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the secretary remained committed to serving through the end of Trump’s term.

A House impeachment vote would not itself remove Hegseth. Removal would require conviction by two-thirds of senators present at a Senate trial.

Reports of military preparations have continued alongside the political dispute.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that a U.S. RC-135U surveillance aircraft had been sent toward the Middle East. Before the election,

The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington was sending an additional Patriot air defense battery to Israel and had warned Gulf governments to prepare for a possible short, intense offensive.

Axios reported on Nov. 5 that Central Command was preparing for possible major combat operations but had not received a new directive.