Iran supreme leader warns against expecting change in Washington after midterms

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned that expecting any fundamental change in American foreign policy following the recent midterm vote is an error, according to a statement released on his website Wednesday.

The comments followed elections in which the Democratic Party captured both chambers of the United States Congress, dealing a major political setback to President Donald Trump. Voters turned out amid frustration over rising living expenses, trade tariffs, and the military conflict with Iran that began on February 28, which has caused global energy costs to surge.

In his published message, Khamenei cautioned that partisan transfers of power in Washington would not alleviate American antagonism toward Tehran. He asserted that those who still hold hope that the nature of the opposing power structure will alter through internal political changes, or who believe offering compromises will halt hostile actions toward the Iranian public, are deeply mistaken.

The supreme leader, who has not made an in-person public appearance since assuming office in March, also addressed recent warnings from American and Israeli officials regarding prospective strikes. Khamenei stated that if such actions are renewed, the battlefield will expand significantly, even as diplomats attempt to prevent further escalation in the months-long conflict.

Other prominent Iranian figures reacted more directly to the electoral outcome in the United States. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who serves as the country’s lead negotiator in discussions with Washington, claimed on social media platform X that American citizens had rejected conflict, whether driven by moral objections or economic burdens. He cautioned that if American leadership ignores that sentiment, Tehran will deliver a harsh response.

Meanwhile, Iranian judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei celebrated the midterm outcome, claiming that the American president had suffered setbacks on both the battlefield and in politics, while vowing that Tehran would ensure further losses for his administration.