Iran's Ghalibaf Tells U.S. Voters They Rejected War After Midterm Loss

American voters just cast a ballot that Tehran is interpreting as a direct message to Washington. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament, posted on X after projections confirmed that Democrats had secured majorities in both the House and the Senate for the next two years.

Ghalibaf wrote that American citizens spoke with one voice regardless of their motivation. He stated, "Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message." He followed that endorsement with a sharper warning directed at the executive branch. If the U.S. government chose to serve international paymasters and blackmailers against the public will, Ghalibaf said the country would learn that the Iranian "NO comes with a Nightmare."

The reaction from the top of Iran's leadership hierarchy was equally stark. The X account of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei declared that the process of the U.S. collapse had accelerated. The account criticized anyone who believed that shifts between political parties or concessions to Washington would end American hostility, labeling such hopes as gravely mistaken.

This rhetoric follows a direct order issued by Khamenei on Saturday. He called on Tehran's armed forces to respond to any level or type of threat with an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response. The conflict has been a central factor in the U.S. midterm election cycle. President Donald Trump launched joint strikes with Israel against the Islamic Republic in February. That conflict drove energy prices higher across the United States, fueling voter concerns about the cost of living.

Trump acknowledged the impact of the war on the election results. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he said that Iran was a piece of it when asked if the conflict contributed to Republican losses. Despite the electoral setback, the president stood by his decision to launch the strikes. He told the newspaper that he did the right thing and that he would have done it again.

Washington has not explicitly stated it intends to strike Iran again, but reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times indicate the United States is preparing for possible renewed military action. Democrats, now holding both chambers of Congress, may attempt to pass a War Powers Resolution. This measure would direct Trump to end the conflict unless Congress authorizes it. In June, Republicans passed a non-binding concurrent resolution to end the war, but earlier efforts to impose a binding resolution failed.

The new Democratic majorities give the party the procedural power to force a vote on a binding War Powers Resolution. This stands in contrast to the previous session where such binding measures were blocked. The White House and the Pentagon are currently reviewing their options for continued engagement with Tehran.