Trump admits Iran war hurt Republicans as Democrats flip Congress
US President Donald Trump congratulated Democrats on winning control of Congress in the midterm elections, acknowledging that the ongoing conflict with Iran hurt Republican candidates.
At a glance
- Democrats secured control of Congress in the US midterm elections following a historic night.
- President Donald Trump conceded that the Iran war and surging petrol prices played a role in the Republican defeat.
- In the Strait of Hormuz, tensions persisted as Iranian officials reported further naval clashes and tanker incidents.
US President Donald Trump congratulated rival Democrats on Tuesday after they won control of Congress in the midterm elections. While conceding that the ongoing conflict with Iran and soaring petrol prices contributed to the Republican defeat, Trump blamed candidate quality for the losses and insisted he would have won in a landslide if he had been on the ballot.
The stunning electoral reversal upends the final two years of his presidency, handing legislative control to the opposition. At the same time, international frictions continued to mount as Iranian officials reacted to the vote while reporting fresh maritime incidents in the critical Strait of Hormuz.
Official reactions from Tehran
Iran's chief negotiator stated that Americans had rejected war through the ballot box. Parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf echoed this sentiment on social media, warning of severe consequences if Washington ignored the public will.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps reported multiple incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, including oil tankers catching fire after hitting sea mines and the alleged downing of a US drone. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre separately confirmed that a tanker was struck by projectiles off the coast of Oman.
What to watch: Further developments in the stalled indirect talks between the United States and Iran regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Reporting from: BBC News, France 24. Spotted an error? Tell us.
- US Midterms
- Donald Trump
- Iran War
- Strait of Hormuz
- US Congress
- World
- Politics