Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the United States, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, has interpreted the Republican Party’s defeat in the US midterm elections as a rejection of President Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf, who is also Iran’s parliament speaker, said American voters had “said NO TO WAR” through their votes.
“We endorse this message,” he wrote, warning that Washington would face consequences if the government ignored public sentiment and continued serving what he described as foreign interests.
“If the US [government] betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare,” he added.
Trump has acknowledged that the war with Iran and the resulting increase in fuel prices contributed to the Republican Party’s poor performance in the midterm elections.
Speaking to Fox News, the US president said he believed voters generally supported his actions against Iran but were less willing to bear the immediate economic consequences, particularly higher petrol prices.
“I think a part of it was Iran,” Trump said.
He added that although people agreed with his approach, they were probably unwilling to accept the short-term cost of paying more for gasoline.
Despite recognising the conflict’s possible electoral impact, Trump maintained that he did not regret launching the joint military campaign with Israel against Iran in February.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, dismissed expectations that the American election results would lead to a change in Washington’s position towards Tehran.
In a statement, Khamenei said anyone expecting a shift in what he described as American hostility towards Iran was “gravely mistaken”.
The exchange highlights how the US election outcome is being interpreted beyond American politics, particularly amid continuing tensions between Washington and Tehran.
