US President Donald Trump has defended his decision to launch military action against Iran, describing it as “absolutely correct” despite the political fallout from the conflict and the Republican Party’s losses in the midterm elections.
In an interview with POLITICO on Tuesday, Trump stood by his decision to wage war against Tehran, even as Democrats secured control of both chambers of Congress in a major setback for Republicans.
Iranian officials welcomed the election results, portraying the Democratic gains as a rejection of Trump’s military campaign and its economic consequences, particularly rising living costs and energy prices.
Iran Links Republican Losses to War
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf took to social media to comment on the election outcome, suggesting that American voters had rejected the war and its economic costs.
Abdul El-Sayed Makes History as First Muslim Elected to US Senate
“Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said no to war, and we endorse this message,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.
Ghalibaf, who has played a prominent role in negotiations aimed at ending the months-long conflict, also warned Washington against resuming large-scale military operations.
“If the U.S. govt betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our no comes with a nightmare,” he wrote.
Iranian state media also presented the Democratic gains as a setback for Trump. Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), published the headline: “War on Iran emerges as major factor in Republicans’ Midterm defeat.”
State-run IRNA described the results as a “heavy defeat for Trump and his supporters”, pointing to public dissatisfaction with the president and the conflict.
Tehran Celebrates Democratic Gains
Thousands of people gathered across Iran to mark the 47th anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran as the American election results emerged.
Tehran had closely monitored the US midterm elections. Reports also suggested that Iranian negotiators had delayed recent talks in an effort to keep gas prices elevated and increase public frustration with the Trump administration.
Anti-war voices in Washington also interpreted the election outcome as a setback for the president’s Iran policy.
“The Democrats didn’t win the midterms,” Trita Parsi, co-founder of the Quincy Institute, wrote on social media. “Iran did.”
However, Iran’s celebration may be premature, as Trump has not ruled out further military action against the country.
Trump Leaves Door Open to Further Military Action
Although Trump repeatedly pledged not to resume a full-scale assault on Iran before the midterm elections, he made no similar commitment for the period after the vote.
The president has also suggested that the United States could “finish the job”.
Despite acknowledging that the conflict contributed to the Republican Party’s poor election performance, Trump maintained that the decision to attack Iran had been justified.
His remarks indicate that the election setback has not changed his stated position on the military campaign.
Democrats Prepare to Challenge Trump Administration
The Democrats’ gains are expected to open a new political front in Washington, with lawmakers likely to intensify scrutiny of the administration’s handling of the Iran war.
Congressional investigations could focus on national security decisions, the conduct of the military campaign and other major policy issues.
The shift in congressional control could complicate Trump’s domestic and foreign policy agenda, particularly as European allies and other international partners monitor developments in Washington.
The election results have therefore created competing political narratives: Tehran views the outcome as a rejection of Trump’s Iran policy, while the president continues to defend the military campaign as the right decision.
