Iran Leader Calls War Defeat Proof
Parliament speaker Qalibaf claims voters rejected Trump's military campaign, while Tehran demands sanctions relief to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
By Daniela Ortega ·
American voters cast ballots on Tuesday in midterm elections that resulted in a decisive loss for President Donald Trump's Republican Party. The outcome immediately drew a reaction from Tehran, which framed the result as a direct rejection of the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran.
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran's Parliament and the country's chief negotiator, took to the social platform X to address the results. He stated that conscience or the cost of living drove the decision, noting that Americans said no to war and that his government endorsed the message. Qalibaf added that if the U.S. government betrayed this public will to serve international paymasters, it would learn that Iran's no comes with a nightmare.
Trump acknowledged the impact of the conflict during an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday evening. He said the war with Iran was a piece of the backlash faced by Republican candidates. While voters rated the war as a lower priority compared to other issues, they linked high gas prices and inflation to the conflict. Affordability emerged as the top issue for voters in this election cycle.
Data supports the connection between the war and economic anxiety. A Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs report released in September found that about 86 percent of Americans broadly view the U.S.-Iran war as bad for the cost of living. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the U.S. war, a move that has impacted energy shipments and sent global energy prices skyrocketing.
Trump played down the prospect of resuming full military operations against Iran, even as the U.S. continues limited strikes and maintains an increased armed presence in the region. The Pentagon has also drawn up additional strike options. In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, Trump said he was ready and locked and loaded if needed, but there may be no reason for it.
Negotiations between the two nations remain stalled. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran and Washington remain far apart. The official stated that the U.S. must meet Iran's conditions to open the Strait of Hormuz, which include waiving oil sanctions, ending the U.S. naval blockade, and releasing frozen Iranian funds. Mediators are currently working to narrow the gaps between the two sides.
The election results and the subsequent statements from both capitals highlight the tight link between military strategy and domestic political sentiment. The U.S. maintains a heavy military footprint in the region while seeking a diplomatic path to end the conflict.
