White House split on Iran war as Vance criticizes Netanyahu

Senior officials in President Donald Trump's administration have been divided for months over the war with Iran, with Vice President JD Vance privately criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and warning that the conflict contributed to Republican defeats in Tuesday's elections, according to US media reports.

Internal divisions over military strategy

Vance privately accused Netanyahu of "being wrong on everything" regarding Iran and repeatedly urged Trump to negotiate an end to the conflict, Axios reported Thursday, citing sources familiar with the discussions. The vice president also warned that the war was deeply unpopular among American voters and could lead to Republican defeats in Tuesday's midterm elections, according to the report. The disagreements came into sharper focus after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's elections.

The Wall Street Journal separately reported that tensions within the administration had intensified over whether to continue military operations, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth advocating a continuation of the campaign while Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials pushed for diplomatic negotiations. According to the Journal, some White House advisers blamed Hegseth for persuading Trump that the conflict would be a relatively short military engagement. Senior administration officials held a meeting in the White House Situation Room in September to discuss the political consequences of the war, where participants expressed concern that publicly acknowledging continuing US military strikes could damage Republican candidates.

Vance links election defeat to Iran war

The internal disagreements became public Wednesday when Vance directly linked the Republicans' electoral losses to the administration's Iran policy. "The reason we lost is the war," Vance wrote on social media, identifying four concerns among disillusioned Republican voters: ending the Iran war, addressing inflation, restoring America First priorities and changing Washington's relationship with Israel. According to The Washington Post, Vance said Republican voters who supported Trump in 2024 had turned against the party because of the war and rising living costs.

Trump subsequently acknowledged that the conflict had contributed to the electoral losses, particularly by increasing gasoline prices. "I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term," Trump told reporters Wednesday when asked about Vance's assessment. The president defended his decision to launch the military campaign, arguing that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remained essential. Axios reported that Netanyahu had urged Trump to resume military strikes against Iran before the midterm elections, but the president decided to wait until after the elections.

Trump faces competing options on Iran

The election defeat has intensified discussions within the administration over how to proceed with the conflict. According to Axios, Trump faces three principal options: resuming major military strikes, negotiating an agreement with Tehran or maintaining the naval blockade and economic sanctions while seeking further Iranian concessions. The report said Qatari mediators were working on a draft agreement intended to prevent renewed fighting and potentially facilitate direct US-Iranian negotiations.

The Pentagon has continued preparations for a possible resumption of major combat operations against Iran, including the deployment of additional military assets to the Middle East. The Wall Street Journal reported that another aircraft carrier strike group and a Marine expeditionary unit were moving toward the region, potentially adding thousands of US personnel. The Washington Post reported that Vance's public criticism underscored the political challenges facing the vice president, who is widely viewed as a potential Republican presidential contender in 2028.