(Reuters)
DUBAI, Nov 5 – 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?”
Oil prices have plunged in recent days as traders wagered that Trump, chastened by voters, may be less likely to restart the strikes he launched alongside Israel as “Operation Epic Fury” in February. Prices bounced back slightly on Thursday but are down more than $20 a barrel from last week.
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