Iran negotiator claims US midterm results show voters rejected conflict

Iran's top negotiator in discussions with Washington has described the results of the United States midterm elections as a clear public rejection of military conflict, following substantial losses for Donald Trump's Republican Party.

Parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on the social media platform X that Americans had "said NO TO WAR", adding that Tehran backed that stance. He cautioned that if the American administration goes against the will of its voters, it would face severe consequences.

Donald Trump conceded that the ongoing conflict with Iran and the resulting rise in fuel prices had contributed to his party's electoral setback. Speaking to Fox News, the US president said that while he believed voters supported his stance toward Tehran, they were unhappy with the financial impact at the petrol pump. Speaking to CBS News, he asserted that the confrontation would conclude only on his terms, while earlier reiterating that he did not regret the joint military strikes carried out alongside Israel in February.

In contrast, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei expressed doubt that the election outcome would prompt any shift in American policy. In a released statement, he said it was an error to anticipate an end to Washington's adversarial approach.

The political fallout coincides with escalating maritime dangers in the Middle East. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said four oil tankers caught fire after striking sea mines along an unapproved southern passage in the Strait of Hormuz, with two more ships reportedly intercepted. However, BBC Verify reported that it found no independent proof confirming the destruction of four vessels. Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker near Oman was hit by two projectiles on Tuesday, with no injuries reported, following an incident on Monday in which an Indian crew member on a wooden vessel died in an attack in the same area.

The Revolutionary Guards also claimed to have downed an American MQ-9 drone over the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, following a comparable claim earlier in the week that triggered retaliatory American strikes on Qeshm Island.

Efforts to settle the standoff through diplomacy remain stalled. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that a resumption of broad hostilities would harm all sides, pointing out that his negotiators had been granted authority to discuss matters previously treated as off-limits. Iranian officials have pointed to a revised seven-step plan mediated by Qatar as a framework that could be activated rapidly, though previous ceasefires covering the vital oil transit route collapsed over control of the waterway.