Iran Cheers GOP Midterm Losses as Khamenei Warns of 'Broader' Response

Iran’s regime used Wednesday’s anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran to celebrate Republican losses in the midterm elections, while its supreme leader warned Americans that a change in party control in Washington would not soften Tehran’s stance.

Government supporters at a rally in Tehran portrayed the U.S. midterm results as a victory for Iran, according to footage and reporting from AnewZ, which said participants burned U.S. and Israeli flags. State-organized marches and events were also held in Bandar Abbas, Mashhad, Qom and numerous other cities, Al Jazeera reported.

#BreakingNews | Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei warns says 'poll results won't change U.S hospitality towards Iran'@poonam_burde | #The5PMBrief #UnitedStates #DonaldTrump #Midterms #Iran pic.twitter.com/KAppCL8P3I

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In a written message marking the day, which Iran calls the “National Day of Fighting Global Arrogance,” Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said anyone expecting the U.S. to change course after the election was wrong. “If anyone still hopes for a change in behavior or a shift between political parties and factions in the system of domination, they are gravely mistaken,” the message said, according to Iran International.

The message was published on Khamenei’s official website, Iran International reported. The outlet noted that Khamenei has not appeared publicly or been heard speaking since the war began on February 28, and that no video or audio accompanied the statement. Al Jazeera likewise reported that he has not been seen or heard publicly since becoming supreme leader in early March following the killing of his father.

Threat of a “far broader” response

Khamenei’s message also carried a warning. “Any repetition of aggression will take on far broader dimensions,” it said, according to Iran International’s translation.

He pointed to the Persian Gulf as proof of Iran’s strength. “Now, the stage of the Persian Gulf, especially the Strait of Hormuz, has invalidated the myth of American invincibility,” read the statement, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

The supreme leader also cautioned Iranian officials against any compromise with Washington. “The Great Satan’s ambition is the unconditional surrender of the Iranian nation,” the message said, according to the full text published by Nournews. Iran International reported that the message argued compromising would encourage further demands and military attacks.

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Khamenei added that “the US sees the end of its hegemony as distant; we see it as near.”

A day of anti-American theater

The anniversary marks the day in 1979 when radical students stormed the U.S. Embassy and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days, RFE/RL noted. Iranian authorities stage rallies every year around the old embassy compound and downtown Tehran to denounce what they call U.S.-led “global arrogance,” Al Jazeera reported.

This year’s events came a day after a giant billboard depicting President Donald Trump behind prison bars was unveiled in Tehran’s Enghelab Square, Al Jazeera reported. The accompanying message read “We will kill Trump,” according to the outlet.

Iran’s leadership and Iranian officials welcomed the midterm results, Al Jazeera reported, though the outlet noted that Trump may still order further military action. RFE/RL reported that Tehran is watching for Trump’s next move after the election.

For conservatives, the image is a hard one to ignore: a regime at war with the United States cheering an American election result, while its leader insists that nothing Washington does will buy goodwill from Tehran.

Sources

• Iran International
• Al Jazeera
• Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
• Nournews (full text of message)
• AnewZ on X

Reporting by Daily Beltway.