Iran celebrates U.S. election shift

Iranian leaders celebrated the U.S. midterm results on Wednesday, framing the Democratic control of both the House and Senate as a direct rebuke of President Donald Trump. The victory came after voters expressed frustration with the economic costs of the ongoing conflict, including higher prices for fuel and goods.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who serves as Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator, posted on X that Americans voted against war. He warned that if the U.S. government ignores this public will to serve international allies, it will face difficult consequences. His remarks acknowledged the domestic pressure rising in the United States due to the war's financial impact.

The reaction occurred while the region remained tense over the potential for renewed fighting. The war is now more than eight months old and has disrupted the global economy. U.S. allies in the Middle East are urging Washington to avoid escalating military operations. Talks aimed at preventing a new round of strikes are currently underway.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, adopted a more cautious stance. In a letter shared online, he stated that those who think a change in U.S. political leadership will alter American hostility toward Iran are mistaken. He has not appeared in public since the war started on February 28. The initial U.S. and Israeli strikes on that date killed his father, the former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

The midterms took place shortly after the United States conducted a limited strike on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported explosions on Qeshm and Hengam islands and near the port city of Bandar Abbas on Monday. Authorities have not confirmed the specific sites hit or the level of damage. The strait previously handled about one-fifth of the world's oil supply. Iran has restricted shipping through the waterway while the U.S. maintains a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Ali Nikzad, the deputy parliament speaker, told lawmakers that U.S. sanctions failed to break Iran's economy or force a surrender. He described the Republican losses as the aftershocks of defeat at the hands of the Iranian people. The election results coincided with the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover in Tehran.

Thousands of protesters marched through the capital on Wednesday, burning American and Israeli flags and chanting slogans. They displayed effigies of President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani told the crowd that the U.S. defeat in the elections resulted from the Iranian nation's strength. Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi, Iran's judiciary chief, wrote on X that Trump failed in both war and politics and would face further defeats. Back-channel negotiations continue as mediators work on a framework for Iran to halt attacks in the strait in exchange for the U.S. lifting its blockade. Thousands of U.S. troops remain in waters off Iran, with additional forces on the way.