Iran's chief negotiator says Americans voted 'no to war'

Key points

• Iran's chief negotiator said Americans voted "no to war" after Republican midterm losses.
• Trump said part of the midterm result was due to the war and higher petrol prices.
• Iran's Supreme Leader said he expects no change in US hostility toward Iran.

Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the US said Americans have "said NO TO WAR" after President Donald Trump's Republican Party suffered a heavy defeat in the midterm elections. Parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X that Iran endorses the message, and warned that if the US government ignores its public's will, it will learn that Iran's refusal "comes with a Nightmare".

Trump acknowledged on Tuesday that the poor Republican results were partly due to the war and the related surge in petrol prices, but said he did not regret launching a joint attack with Israel on Iran in February. Iran's Supreme Leader said he did not expect US policy to change after the results.

Trump on the results

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said of the midterms: "I think a part of it was Iran". He said people agree with what he is doing on Iran but were probably not willing to accept the short-term consequence of paying more for gasoline.

Speaking to CBS News, Trump said the conflict would end "when I say it ends". He has warned in recent weeks that the US and Israel could return to all-out war after the midterms if no deal is reached with Iran.

I think a part of it was Iran

— Donald Trump

Shipping incidents in the strait

On Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said four oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz. It said two were still burning and two more tankers were intercepted while trying to use a prohibited southern route, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. BBC Verify has not found evidence that four tankers were destroyed.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said a tanker was struck by two unknown projectiles about 14 nautical miles north-east of Limah in Oman's Musandam peninsula on Tuesday evening, with no casualties reported. On Monday, an Indian crew member of a dhow was killed in an attack north-east of Limah, and thirteen other crew members were rescued by Omani authorities. The IRGC also said it shot down another US MQ-9 drone over the strait.

Talks remain stalled

Indirect talks to end the conflict have been stalled for months. President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government had been trying to resolve the crisis through dialogue and warned that "No-one will benefit from this war" if it resumes.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqai said the basis of the Qatar-mediated negotiations remained a seven-step proposal Iran submitted in September, which he said had been condensed so it could be implemented within two days.