Iranian Officials Express Joy Over US Voters' Strong Blow to Trump - Sarmad

(Royters) – The Iranian government expressed delight at the stinging rebuke delivered to U.S. President Donald Trump by the results of the midterm congressional elections, stating that voters had thereby rejected the war he waged against Iran, even as Tehran remained on high alert for the possibility of renewed attacks.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who is also Iran’s chief negotiator, wrote on X, “Conscience or cost of living... Americans said no to war, and we support this message,” adding that Washington should not ignore public opinion by attacking his country again.

In a written statement, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said U.S. hostility would continue regardless of which party is in power, warning against “the slightest inclination toward submission” to the United States.

He added, “The United States sees its dominance ending as distant, while we see it as near.”

Trump acknowledged in two media interviews that the U.S.-Israeli war played a role in Republican defeats.

In Iran, a news agency affiliated with the judiciary circulated a joke on X claiming that “Trump failed to change the regime in Iran but succeeded in Texas,” referring to the state where a Democrat won a Senate seat for the first time in decades.

However, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters that Tehran is concerned Trump may seek to compensate for that loss with a military strike, and remained on high alert despite Iranian leaders welcoming the Democratic victory.

Mediators have intensified efforts to end the war amid fears it could reignite after the elections. Trump on Tuesday refused to rule out resuming combat operations after the vote, and Iran plans a broader response if the war resumes.

*“Iran’s Shadow”*

Before the U.S. elections, senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran deliberately prolonged talks with the United States to weaken Trump politically before the vote.

The blow to Trump coincided with the anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979, when hardline students cemented the reality of the Islamic Revolution in Iran by storming the embassy after the fall of the U.S.-backed Shah, holding 52 Americans hostage there for 444 days.

Iran’s major Hamshahri newspaper linked the two events with a front-page photo showing Trump blindfolded and head bowed.

Its headline read, “Iran’s Shadow Looms Over the U.S. Elections,” adding that Washington has remained “hostage to Iran for 47 years: from the seizure of the spy nest (the U.S. Embassy) to the U.S. congressional elections in November 2026.”

Khamenei said in his written statement on Wednesday, “The consequences of U.S. miscalculation and its arrogant illusions have manifested as a heavy burden of costs borne by the American people and the client regimes subservient to the U.S. government.”