VICTOR JOECKS: Best path out of the Iran War is victory

The terrorists who want you dead are celebrating the election results.

On Tuesday, the American public delivered President Donald Trump and Republicans an epic thrashing. Democrats won Senate seats in several states that Trump won easily just two years ago. Democrats will have a large majority in the House. They also dominated throughout Nevada, including Aaron Ford flip-flopping his way to the Governor’s Mansion.

Voters didn’t hide the cause of their anger. They are furious and worried about high prices. In a NBC exit poll, 87 percent said they were very or somewhat concerned with the cost of gasoline and diesel. That number was even higher for groceries — 88 percent.

In 2024, Trump remade the Republican coalition, exchanging college-educated voters for working-class ones. That helped him win in Nevada and around the nation, but those voters expected lower prices. Tariffs and the ongoing Iran war drove prices higher. Trump seemed more concerned with building projects than the prices breaking family budgets.

On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance blamed the Iran war, high costs and support for Israel for Republicans’ generational wipeout. His contention was that many previous Republican voters did show up, but they voted for Democrats. He called for a diplomatic resolution to the Iran war.

Vance is intelligent, but he ignored something crucial. Iran isn’t interested in a diplomatic resolution.

In April, Trump stalled the momentum of American attacks on Iran by agreeing to a ceasefire. Vance even went to Pakistan to negotiate with Iranian leaders. In June, the United States and Iran signed a “memorandum of understanding” to extend the ceasefire and reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The terms of that deal were comically one-sided for Iran. But Iran refused to give up control of strait. In late June, Iran attacked a ship in the strait. In July, it hit three ships.

Remember, Iran’s attacks on oil tankers are largely responsible for high gas prices.

This is the problem with Vance’s idea. The enemy gets a vote. Iran’s vote wasn’t for peace then, and it isn’t for peace now. That’s why America can’t let Iran obtain nuclear weapons. After Trump attacked, stopping in April was counterproductive. It revived the Iranian regime, dragging out the conflict.

On Wednesday, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei cheered the U.S. election results on X. Khamenei may or may not be alive, but he’s the supreme leader of Iran. He called America “the Great Satan” and said “the process of the U.S.’ collapse has accelerated.” He seemed to dismiss the possibility of a peace agreement as an “inclination toward submission” that would “embolden the enemy to launch more wars.”

This is why all the Israel blaming doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Iran hates both Israel and the United States. It makes sense to work with Israel because we have a common enemy. You ally with your friends, not those trying to kill you.

If you want the Iran war to end and Iran won’t agree to a diplomatic solution, there’s only good one option left — victory.

Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at [email protected] or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.