Iranian officials gloat as US voters deal blow to Trump
USO•Iranian officials cast the US midterm results as a rejection of President Donald Trump’s war, while two senior Iranian sources said Tehran remained on high alert for a possible US strike. The conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and driven up global oil and gas prices.
1. Iran frames election result
Iranian officials welcomed the US midterm results as a rebuke to Trump and his war. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Americans had said “NO TO WAR,” while Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned against any inclination toward submission to the US.
2. Tehran stays on alert
Two senior Iranian sources said Tehran was concerned Trump could seek to compensate for the election setback with a military strike and remained on high alert. Mediators have intensified efforts to end the war, which began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28; shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted, and global oil and gas prices have risen.
3. Anniversary draws comparisons
The election coincided with the anniversary of the 1979 US embassy seizure in Tehran. Iranian newspapers linked the anniversary with the vote, while Trump acknowledged in interviews that the war played a role in Republican defeats.
