US Vice Presidential debate: Walz blames Trump’s ‘fickle leadership’, Vance says he ensured ‘stability’ as Middle East crisis worsens

The ongoing Middle East crisis became the central issue at vice-presidential debate on Tuesday (local time), with Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance offering starkly contrasting views on US foreign policy and the leadership needed to navigate the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
Both candidates highlighted the stakes in middle east crisis but from diverging standpoints—Walz calling for steadiness in leadership and international cooperation, while Vance championed a more aggressive deterrence strategy modeled on Trump’s presidency.
Walz questioned former President Donald Trump’s fitness for office, framing him as too erratic to handle the crisis. “You saw it today,” Walz began, referring to the recent conflict in Israel, “A nearly 80-year-old Donald Trump talking about crowd sizes is not what we need at this moment.”
He credited the Biden administration for providing steady leadership amid the Israeli coalition’s efforts to counter incoming attacks. Walz highlighted Israel’s right to self-defense following Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack but refrained from explicitly endorsing a preemptive strike on Iran. Instead, he focused on the importance of diplomacy, coalition-building, and maintaining stability in the region. “What is fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter,” Walz argued, stressing that Vice President Kamala Harris had demonstrated calmness and effective coalition-building in the face of adversity.
Vance, representing the Republican camp, took a different approach, praising Trump’s foreign policy during his tenure as one of deterrence and stability. He criticised the current administration for unfreezing billions of dollars in Iranian assets, suggesting these funds had empowered Iran’s military capabilities, ultimately contributing to the conflict. “Donald Trump actually delivered stability in the world. Iran, which launched this attack, has received over $100 billion in unfrozen assets thanks to the Kamala Harris administration,” Vance said. He accused the Democrats of enabling the very aggression the US now faces.
Walz’s criticism also touched on Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a key point in the Democrat’s foreign policy argument. “Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon because of Donald Trump’s fickle leadership,”
This comes as Israel continued its offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and faced retaliatory missile strikes from Iran. Iran launched a massive barrage of at least 180 missiles late Tuesday night, marking another dangerous chapter in the long-standing conflict between the two nations.