Iran Leaders React Sharply After US Election Results
Tehran officials claim the vote signals American rejection of war, while Houthi rebels report new missile strikes on Saudi infrastructure.
By Nadia Singh ·
U.S. President Donald Trump suffered a major electoral defeat on Tuesday as voters handed control of Congress to the Democratic Party. The result, driven by concerns over the ongoing war with Iran and rising fuel costs, has immediately altered the diplomatic posture in the Middle East. Iranian leaders are using the vote to pressure Washington, while regional conflicts continue to escalate in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Lebanon.
Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, posted on X on Wednesday that Americans said no to war. He endorsed the message, warning that if the U.S. government ignores the demand for change, it will learn that Iran’s no comes with a nightmare. However, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, dismissed the idea that the U.S. would change its approach to the Islamic Republic. The region has remained on edge for weeks as talks continue to prevent renewed full-scale military operations.
Pro-government demonstrations in Tehran marked the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday. Thousands of marchers burned American and Israeli flags. The crowd chanted death to America and death to Israel, underscoring the mutual hostility between the two nations despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.
In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they fired strikes on targets in Saudi Arabia. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the group launched a ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. He described the impact as causing major damages to the facility. The rebels also reported firing a drone at a radar installation and a ballistic missile at a command and control center in Jazan province. The Associated Press could not independently verify these claims, and the Saudi information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Saudi civil defense authorities issued an alert in Riyadh overnight. Additional warnings of potential danger were sent to Jazan and Najran early Wednesday. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted oil, logistics facilities, and airports in Saudi Arabia. They describe these actions as part of a plan to fight what they call the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen.
A separate airstrike killed at least seven people in Yemen’s southwestern province of Taiz on Wednesday. Houthi health authorities said the attack hit a house in the Maqbanah district. The ministry reported that two of the dead were children and that six other children were wounded. Houthi media aired footage of the heavily damaged concrete building, showing large sections of the roof and walls collapsing. The ministry blamed Saudi Arabia, which did not immediately comment. This strike is the latest in a series of deadly incidents since the civil war was revived more than three months ago.
In Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported that an airstrike on a motorcycle in the village of Qabrikha killed one person and wounded another. The Israeli military stated that it struck two suspects who were observing IDF soldiers. The attack was the first of its kind in nearly a month. Drone strikes have been rare since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in late June ended the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah.
U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix warned that Lebanese officials fear a security vacuum when the U.N. peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL ends on December 31. Lacroix, who recently returned from the Middle East, cautioned against leaving the two armies face-to-face without a third-party presence. He questioned who would monitor the U.N.-drawn Blue Line and support communities in southern Lebanon. He noted that efforts to disarm Hezbollah failed because there was no political will. The United States successfully pushed the Security Council to end the mission after nearly five decades. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres proposed three options in June to maintain monitoring along the border.
Lacroix said unarmed U.N. military observers remain authorized to operate in southern Lebanon. He questioned how they could function without protection or support. A Security Council resolution adopted in 2000 remains in effect. The council is scheduled to discuss the matter on November 19.
