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Iran welcomes Democratic wins in US midterm elections

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Ongoing: US mid-terms Hot

Iranian officials said US voters rejected the war launched by President Donald Trump after the Democrats won both the Senate and the House. Tehran stayed on high alert for possible new US strikes.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is also Iran's chief negotiator, posted on X after the vote. He said Americans had chosen peace, whether out of conscience or because of the cost of living, and that Iran supported that message.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written statement that US hostility would continue whichever party held power. He said Washington thought the end of its dominance was far off, while Iran thought it was close.

Iranian media ran triumphant and mocking coverage. At a state-organised rally in Tehran, a demonstrator who gave only his family name, Nazari, said the power of the Republicans had been broken.

Senior Iranian officials said Tehran had deliberately prolonged talks with the US to weaken Trump politically before the vote. Two senior Iranian sources said Trump could try to make up for the result with a military strike.

Trump told Fox News that Iran was part of the reason for the result. He said voters also understood the importance of what he had done on Iran. The US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, and the war is in its ninth month.

Key facts

Who
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (Iranian parliament speaker and Iran's chief negotiator); Mojtaba Khamenei (Iran's Supreme Leader); Donald Trump (US president); Nazari (demonstrator at state-organised rally in Tehran, gave only his family name)
What
Iran's government celebrated the Democratic victories in the US midterm elections, with officials declaring voters had rejected the US war on Iran, while Tehran remained on high alert for possible renewed US strikes. Iranian media ran triumphant and mocking coverage.
When
4 November 2026
Where
Iran, United States, Tehran
Status
Reported

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