Iranian Officials Welcome US Midterm Results After Voters Rebuke Trump Over Iran War

The update

Iranian officials on Wednesday welcomed the US midterm results after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s vote, a rebuke to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote that Americans, driven by conscience or the cost of living, had said no to war, and warned Washington not to betray that public will. Deputy speaker Ali Nikzad told lawmakers the defeats were aftershocks of defeat at the hands of the Iranian people, as Tehran marked the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the US embassy.

Why it matters

Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said anyone expecting US hostility toward Iran to change through partisan shifts was seriously mistaken. Both sources say concerns about the more than eight-month-old war, including rising fuel prices in the US, helped Democrats win. Talks aimed at preventing renewed fighting continue, while the region remains on edge over the prospect of the US resuming full-scale operations, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely restricted.

What to watch

Watch whether Tehran and Washington adjust their negotiating positions, whether the new Congress uses its funding and oversight powers over the war, and whether confrontations around the Strait of Hormuz escalate or ease.

Sources

• theguardian.com — confirms Iranian officials’ celebration, Qalibaf and Khamenei statements and Tehran rallies
• cbc.ca — confirms via Associated Press the same statements, Democrats winning both chambers and continuing talks

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