Iran says it handed Trump 'strategic defeat' in war and Washington

Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei on Thursday declared that Tehran had inflicted a "strategic defeat" on US President Donald Trump both militarily in the Strait of Hormuz and politically in Washington, as the administration grapples with the fallout from Tuesday's midterm elections.

Iranian official claims victory

Writing on the social media platform X, Rezaei asserted that the Iranian nation had handed Trump dual setbacks through battlefield resistance and political isolation. "The Iranian nation handed Trump a strategic defeat on the battlefield and in the Hormuz—and a POLITICAL DEFEAT in Washington," he said, adding that Americans were bearing the financial burden of the war. "Anyone who takes on Iran will pay the price—from the battlefield to their own doorstep," he warned.

Republican losses linked to Iran war

The Iranian official's remarks followed a public admission by US Vice President JD Vance that the conflict had cost Republicans their congressional majorities. "The reason we lost is the war," Vance wrote on X on Wednesday, noting that voter anger over the prolonged fighting had driven former Trump supporters to back Democratic candidates. Democrats secured control of both the House and Senate in Tuesday's balloting, delivering a significant blow to the administration's legislative agenda.

Conflict timeline

The United States and Israel launched military action against Iran on February 28, initiating a war that produced a ceasefire in April before hostilities resumed in July. Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have remained stalled since fighting restarted, with the administration facing mounting pressure to withdraw from the conflict following Tuesday's election results. The war has centered on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil shipments pass.