Iran's security chief claims strategic and political defeat for President Trump after US midterms

Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezai said on X that Tehran had delivered a "strategic defeat" to President Trump on the battlefield and a "political defeat" in Washington after Democrats gained control of both chambers of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.

"The Iranian nation handed Trump a strategic defeat on the battlefield and in the Hormuz -- and a political defeat in Washington," Rezai wrote. He added that the American public was shouldering the financial cost of the conflict, warning that any nation that challenges Iran would "pay the price—from the battlefield to their own doorstep." Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement saying the election results would not alter Washington's policy toward Tehran, cautioning that hopes for policy change through partisan shifts were "seriously mistaken" and that repeated aggression could expand the war. US Vice President JD Vance posted on X that the war with Iran contributed to Republican losses in the midterms, attributing the defeat to voter dissatisfaction with economic conditions and the conflict. He expressed optimism about the country's future and urged supporters to channel their frustration into future political efforts. The Democratic gains have also raised questions about Vance's standing as a potential Republican contender for the 2028 presidential nomination.