Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, said American voters had sent a message of no to war after Republicans lost the U.S. midterm elections, and that Tehran endorsed that reading¹.

President Donald Trump told Fox News that Iran was part of the Republican defeat and that voters had not accepted higher gasoline prices, while saying he did not regret a joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran in February^1,3.

Ghalibaf warned that if Washington ignored that public will, Iran's refusal would come with what he called a nightmare¹. Trump separately told CBS News the conflict would end when he says it ends¹.

South China Morning Post, writing after Democrats took full control of Congress, said analysts saw no clean exit: the vote may force a strategy rethink but leave the broader U.S. position unchanged and a long war more likely than a quick settlement².

DW reported that Gulf governments, caught between the two sides for months, hoped the result would reduce the chance of a new campaign³. It also noted that newly elected Democrats do not take their seats until early next year, limiting any immediate congressional check on military funding³.

DW said the United States and Israel had delayed major attacks until after elections, and cited a late-October Wall Street Journal report that Washington had warned Gulf capitals to prepare for a short, intense campaign after the midterms³. Trump also told several outlets he was in no rush to resume bombing³.

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said anyone expecting a change in U.S. hostility toward Iran was mistaken, and that a resumed war would have wider dimensions^1,5. Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said a future war could last longer than the previous round and that the American president would not dictate its timing or end⁶.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said before the vote that Trump had not decided on further military action, preferred a peaceful resolution, and expressed confidence the United States could act if needed⁵. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran remained prepared for both defense and diplomacy⁶.

CBS News reported that U.S. officials described limited defensive strikes near the Strait of Hormuz after an apparent attack on a U.S. aircraft, and that a senior Iranian figure called Washington's response to a latest proposal not convincing⁴. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations centre said two unknown projectiles struck a tanker off Oman, with no casualties reported^1,4.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed several tankers caught fire after hitting mines in the strait; BBC Verify said it had not found evidence that four tankers were destroyed¹. What Washington will do before the new Congress is seated, and whether mediation can reopen Hormuz, remains unannounced^2,3,6.