Iran celebrates Republican defeat in the U.S. as a rejection of war

Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of the Parliament and chief Iranian negotiator, expressed on the social network X: “Whether through awareness or the cost of living, Americans said no to war, and we support this message.”

The Democrats achieved a historic victory on Tuesday by wresting control of both houses of Congress from the Republicans, a harsh setback for Donald Trump.

Although Iranian authorities had previously minimized the importance of these elections for the Islamic Republic, an increase in attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz has been observed, an action that analysts suggest sought to raise the price of oil to harm the Republican campaign.

Ismail Bagaei, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accused Trump of having dragged his country into a war with Iran, driven by greed and serving the interests of Israel. In a message on X, Bagaei urged the U.S. president to take note of the message that the American people have sent.

The Republican electoral defeat coincided with the anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979, an event celebrated annually in Iran as a victory.

During the commemorative marches, Donald Trump was the target of numerous banners with messages such as “We will kill Trump,” images of him behind bars or in chains, caricatures that ridiculed him, and depictions of him as a pig.

The seizure of the embassy and the hostage-taking of 52 diplomats for 444 days triggered a tension between the two countries that has intensified since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28.

The Iranian embassy in Lebanon compared Trump to former President Jimmy Carter, who, it is considered, lost the 1980 elections in part due to the hostage crisis with the Islamic Republic.

The Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Jameneí, warned that it is a mistake to trust that political changes in the United States can end their hostility towards Iran. “If there are still those who hold some hope for a change in behavior… they are deeply mistaken,” he stated in a message.

Jameneí insisted that the objective of Washington is the capitulation of Tehran and warned against any concessions to the North American power.

Iran and the United States have intensified indirect negotiations, mediated by Qatar, to seek a solution to the war, although so far they have not reached an agreement. Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, criticized the U.S. response to his proposal, describing it as “unconvincing” and demanding that it address his seven conditions.

Despite these contacts, the United States attacked Iranian territory for the first time in two months, an act described as “limited,” generating fears of a resumption of large-scale bombings.