Ghalibaf says US vote shows Americans have rejected Iran war

DUBAI — Iran’s parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that Americans have rejected the Iran ‌war, ‌and the ‌US government should not ignore public opinion by attacking his country again.

“Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO ‌WAR, ‌and we ‌endorse this ‌message. If the US govt betrays their public ‌will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare,” Ghalibaf posted on X, as projections from US midterm elections showed that Democrats have flipped both houses of Congress.

Last Saturday, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called for Tehran’s armed forces to meet “any level or type of threat” with “an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response.”

The Iran war has been a central issue for voters in the midterms, after US President Donald Trump launched joint strikes with Israel against the Islamic Republic in February. The conflict has pushed up energy prices across the US, which has led to cost of living concerns.

Trump is also blaming the Iran war in part for the Democratic sweep of both chambers of Congress, telling the Wall Street Journal that “Iran was a piece of it” when asked if the war contributed to the Republicans losses.

However, he maintains that prosecuting the war was the right decision, saying, “I don’t think about it. I did the right thing. I would have done it again.”

Washington has not explicitly stated it plans to resume attacks on Iran, but reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times indicate the US is preparing for possible renewed military actions after the midterm elections.

With their new majorities, Democrats might be able to push through a War Powers Resolution, which will direct Trump to end the conflict with Iran should Congress not authorize it.

In June, both chambers — which were then Republican controlled — passed a concurrent resolution to end the conflict, although a concurrent resolution is not binding and does not have the force of law. Previous attempts to impose a binding War Powers Resolution had been defeated.