Washington: The Vice Presidential debate between Democrat Tim Walz and Republican J.D. Vance turned intense as both candidates exchanged sharp words over the growing crisis in West Asia. This crisis escalated when Iran fired missiles at Israel, though U.S. officials confirmed these were successfully intercepted.

They went on to argue about immigration, climate change, abortion, the economy and personal failure. On the last issue, Walz acknowledged that he had misspoken at times and Vance admitted he was wrong.

Focus on Iran and Israel

The debate began with questions about Iran’s missile attack. Walz, the Democratic nominee, quickly pointed out that the crisis started with the 'October 7 attack by Hamas', which killed over 1,400 Israelis and took many as prisoners. He emphasized that Israel must defend itself and recover hostages while handling the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

"Let's keep in mind where this started. October 7, Hamas terrorists massacred over 1400 Israelis and took prisoners... Israel's ability to be able to defend itself is absolutely fundamental. Getting its hostages back is fundamental and ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but the expansion of Israel and its proxies is an absolute fundamental necessity for the United States to have the steady leadership there," Walz said.

"You saw it today, where, along with our Israeli partners and our coalition, able to stop the incoming attack. But what's fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter," he added.

Walz, the Governor of Minnesota, stressed the need for strong leadership in the region. He credited the U.S. and Israel for defeating the Iranian missile attack and warned that leadership will be crucial in keeping stability in West Asia.

Blame on Trump

Walz also took the chance to criticize former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. He argued that Trump’s leadership is risky in today’s dangerous world. Walz referred to comments made by Trump’s former staff, saying they warned of his flaws and unsuitability for leadership.

"What we've seen of Vice President Harris is we've seen steady leadership. We've seen a calmness that is able to be able to draw on the coalitions to bring them together, understanding that our allies matter. When our allies see Donald Trump turned towards Vladimir Putin, turn towards North Korea. When we start to see that type of fickleness around holding the coalitions together, we will stay committed. And as the Vice President said today, we will protect our forces and our allied forces, and there will be consequences," he added.

He praised Vice President Kamala Harris, saying her calm and steady leadership has kept U.S. allies together, which is vital for peace and stability.

Vance defends Trump

In response, Vance defended Trump’s record, saying his strong leadership brought peace by making other countries fearful of crossing the U.S. He blamed the current administration, led by Harris, for allowing Iran to gain access to over $100 billion, which Vance claims Iran used to buy weapons now aimed at Israel and possibly the U.S.

Vance said that it was Donald Trump, who "actually delivered stability" in the world by establishing "effective deterrence". Vance supported Israel’s right to protect itself and said the U.S. should back its allies in fighting "bad guys."

Vice-presidential debates are not considered as consequential as the one between the main nominees and are not known to have any bearing on polling numbers. But, given how right the race is between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump, this debate is being closely watched. However, viewership is not expected to match the 67 million who viewed the September 10 debate between Harris and Trump.