Iran Maintains Pressure as Three Tankers Hit in Hormuz

Iran reported three more tankers had been damaged in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, making clear that shipping would remain in peril as long as the war in the Gulf is unresolved, now that US voters have punished President Donald Trump for waging it.

The electoral rout that cost Trump's Republicans control of Congress has prompted a stark reassessment of the conflict's political cost in Washington, led by Vice President JD Vance, who said in a long social media post on Wednesday that the war was to blame for his party's defeat.

In a mocking reply on Thursday, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Vance's opposite number at previous peace talks, accused Vance of letting Trump double down like a "losing gambler" by planning more US strikes.

If Vance believed the war was a mistake he should persuade Trump to call it off, Qalibaf said: "Skip the TED talk. Why not say this to your boss?"

This story was originally published by MarineLink. Read the full story at MarineLink →