Trump blames Iran war, anti-Israel sentiment for election losses

US President Donald Trump has attributed the Republican Party’s sweeping losses in last week’s midterm elections to public opposition to the war with Iran, rising gasoline prices and growing anti-Israel sentiment.

In an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump acknowledged that the conflict with Iran had damaged Republicans politically, particularly amid rising fuel costs.

“They didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up,” Trump said, adding that there was also an “incredibly” strong dislike of Israel among voters.

He identified opposition to the war, higher gasoline prices and negative public sentiment towards Israel as the primary factors behind the Republican Party’s electoral setback.

Despite acknowledging the political consequences of the conflict, Trump defended his decision to launch military strikes against Iran, insisting he would make the same decision again.

“My answer is an emphatic yes because you can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Trump also declared that the United States had won the war and claimed Tehran was interested in reaching an agreement with Washington.

He suggested that the recent elections had complicated diplomatic efforts, saying a deal could have been reached before the vote.

Asked whether he planned to intensify military operations following the election results, Trump ruled out seeking further escalation.

“I’m not looking to. I don’t think there’s any reason to,” he said.

The US president also claimed that Israel would not exist today without American military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.