Khamenei warns Iranians not to read US election result as a sign of softer Iran policy
The balance of power in Washington has changed after Democrats seized control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the US midterm elections. Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has nevertheless urged his countrymen not to see the result as a signal that US policy towards Iran will soften.
In a message on social media platform X, Khamenei wrote that on 4 November this year Iranians understood their position towards the criminal United States more clearly and specifically than ever before. Even so, reviewing the reasons for US hostile behaviour and the Iranian nation's firm resistance to it will serve as a guiding light for the path ahead, he said.
Khamenei has not appeared in public since taking office last March. He warned that if the United States again launches attacks on Iran, the Middle East war will spread further, saying a repeat of such aggression would make the scope of the war far wider.
In the midterms, Democrats capitalised on Donald Trump's policies and unpopularity to win a historic victory that will impose a strong check on his power during the final two years of his term.
Trump, however, struck a softer tone in an interview with The New York Times, saying he was fully prepared to accept the result and was willing to work with Democrats.
The Iran war started by Trump was one of the main factors in this year's election. Democratic candidates had presented the conflict as the main cause of the economic crisis and hardship across the country.
