Republicans lose US midterms – Trump: Iran war was 'part' of the reason (4 November 2026)

By Omid57.info Editorial Desk · Published 4 November 2026 · 2 min read

Al Jazeera on 4 November 2026: Democrats take Congress, Trump names the Iran war as one reason for the defeat, and Tehran says a 'maximum deterrence' plan is ready.

The result of the US midterm elections held on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, has direct consequences for the war with Iran too, according to media reports.

Democrats win

Al Jazeera calls the result a "stunning rebuke" of Donald Trump. According to the report, Democrats retook the House of Representatives and flipped at least six Senate seats, giving them control of both chambers of Congress. Votes were still being counted at the time of publication. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said "the American people have spoken".

The link to the Iran war

According to Al Jazeera, the economy was voters' top issue, and anger over high petrol and grocery prices, which rose after the US launched its war on Iran in February, played a role. An unnamed Republican source told Al Jazeera that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth "sold the war to Trump" and that this "cost us this election".

Trump first wrote on Truth Social that he himself "wasn't on the ballot". According to Al Jazeera's live blog, he later said the Iran war was "part of" the reason for the Republican losses.

Tehran's reaction: "maximum deterrence"

At the same time, officials of the Islamic Republic said, according to Al Jazeera, that a "maximum deterrence" plan is ready for any new US attack and that the response would be "immediate". They said target lists have been updated to include US and Israeli assets across a wider geographical area. These claims have not been independently confirmed.

Editorial note

A Democratic-led Congress could limit Trump's room for the war, at least on budgets and military authorisations; but foreign policy remains largely in the hands of the White House, and the new Congress only convenes in January. The election shows that the cost of the war has become tangible for Americans too. For people in Iran, who carry the heaviest burden, the only result that matters is a real end to the war and the blockade – not a propaganda victory for either side.

This article was prepared by the Omid57.info editorial desk with the help of AI tools and is reviewed after publication. Quotes are kept short; please read the full text at the original source.