Iran's leaders say midterm results show US voters have rejected Trump's war

Iranians on Wednesday struck a defiant tone, celebrating U.S. voters’ rebuke of President Donald Trump in the midterm elections while many in the Middle East waited to see how the results could affect the Iran war.

Concerns about the war, particularly frustration over rising prices for fuel and other goods in the U.S., helped Democrats win control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s vote, a sharp setback for Trump and his Republican Party.

But Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, whose father and predecessor was killed in the opening strikes of the war in February, dismissed the prospect of any major change in the U.S. approach to the Islamic Republic.

“If there are still those who harbor even a slight hope for a change in behavior or partisan and factional shifts within the system of domination, or who imagine that by giving concessions to America they can dissuade it from hostility toward the Iranian nation, they are gravely mistaken,” he said on his social media account.

The broader region has been on edge for weeks over the prospect of the U.S. resuming full-scale military operations against Iran. Talks aimed at preventing renewed fighting are continuing, while other U.S. allies in the region urge Washington against resuming a war that began more than eight months ago and has rattled the global economy and devastated Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly pushed for more strikes, while Trump has alternated between threatening major military action and pushing for a deal.

Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, wrote Wednesday on X that “Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message.” He warned that if the U.S. government ignores the vote for change, “it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare.”

Despite ceasefire agreements and repeated diplomatic efforts, military confrontations have continued in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a social media post that Americans had sent a clear message and warned Washington against ignoring it. If the U.S. continues to ignore reality, the spokesperson said, “the consequences of this grave miscalculation will extend far beyond what you have already witnessed.”

Underscoring the mutual hostility at the heart of the conflict, thousands marched through Tehran on Wednesday at a government-organized demonstration commemorating the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy.

Pro-government demonstrators burned American and Israeli flags and chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” They displayed effigies of Trump and Netanyahu alongside caricatures of the two leaders.

“Trump has gone too far in everything and that’s one reason for his defeat in the election,” said Hananeh Jahed, a demonstrator.

Zahra Nadiminejad praised Iranian resistance, saying U.S. voters “finally figured out that this is Iran, and they can’t just come in here and do whatever the hell they want.”

“They’ve seen the consequences of the war back home, from skyrocketing gas and food prices to all the devastating effects the war has had on their own country. And whether the Democrats win or the Republicans win, our hostility toward America will never come to an end.”

Nearly three decades ago, Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy on Nov. 4, 1979, taking American diplomats and other citizens hostage. Fifty-two Americans were held for 444 days before being released.

The crisis helped cement the rupture between the two countries, which have had no formal diplomatic relations for years.

The United States and Israel launched the war against Iran on Feb. 28, killing the country’s longtime supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and triggering a conflict that has disrupted global energy markets and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Addressing the demonstrators on Wednesday, Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani claimed the United States and Israel had suffered a massive defeat, which he said was also reflected in last week's Israeli elections.

“The decisive defeat of the United States and the Zionist regime in recent developments and elections is the result of the Iranian nation’s steadfastness and strength,” Zakani said.

The U.S. elections came just a day after what appeared to be a limited strike on Iranian targets in the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway, which renewed questions about what might come next.

Iranian state media reported explosions Monday on Qeshm and Hengam islands and near the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. Iranian authorities have not publicly identified the specific sites struck or disclosed the extent of the damage.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas transited before the war, has seen repeated Iranian attacks on commercial shipping. Iran has sought to restrict shipping to pressure the U.S. to lift its blockade on Iranian ports.

Iran’s state TV said Wednesday that four oil tankers caught fire after they struck mines on what it described as unauthorized routes.

Back-channel negotiations have continued.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Monday that he and Trump “both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement.”

Before the latest strikes, the Trump administration’s last known attacks on Iran were in early September. Thousands of U.S. troops remain in waters off Iran to maintain the naval blockade, aimed at preventing tankers carrying Iranian oil from reaching the global market. Another aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops are on their way to the Middle East.

Associated Press writers Samy Magdy, Toqa Ezzidin and Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.

Iranian government supporters raise their fists, one holding a portrait of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a caricature of U.S. President Donald Trump, during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, outside the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian government supporters burn an Israeli flag during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, outside the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian government supporters step on U.S. and Israeli flags during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, outside the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

An Iranian government supporter carries an Iranian flag and a poster depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei with a rifle as he walks beneath a matching banner during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, outside the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian government supporters, including clerics, raise their fists as they stand on U.S. and Israeli flags during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, outside the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian government supporters raise their fists, one holding a portrait of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a caricature of U.S. President Donald Trump, during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, outside the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Boys, some wearing camouflage uniforms and green berets, stand in front of caricatures of U.S. President Donald Trump during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, outside the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian government supporters burn an Israeli flag during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, outside the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian government supporters step on U.S. and Israeli flags during the annual rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover, outside the former embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

MADRID (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons began preparing for their NFL game in Madrid on Wednesday at the training center of Spanish soccer powerhouse Real Madrid, while the Cincinnati Bengals start practicing Thursday at the facilities of World Cup champion Spain.

Both teams departed to the capital on Tuesday for Sunday's game at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home of the record 15-time European champion.

“This is a beautiful facility for us to get some work done this week,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said. “This is a huge undertaking to take your football team across the pond. And I’m just very appreciative and grateful to the NFL, to our organization. Amazing the amount of work that goes into this.

“I just get to show up and step on the plane and we’re here. But there’s so much work that goes into it, and I’m very appreciative to our group for taking great care of us.”

The Falcons went straight to Real Madrid’s training center for a workout.

It will be the second NFL regular-season game in Madrid after the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime in last year's inaugural game in the country.

“There's always fine tuning that needs to be done, but everything seems to be going on track,” said Rafa de los Santos, the NFL country manager for Spain. “We’re super happy with the way that everything is going, at the stadium level, at the city level, at everything that has to do with the events that we have through the course of the week. Everything ready for a big Sunday.”

The game will include a moment to remember the victims of the high-speed train collision that killed 69 people and injured dozens last week. Organizers did not elaborate on the tribute, saying it will be a surprise.

The game in Madrid will be the seventh in a record nine-game schedule outside the U.S. for the NFL this season. The remaining games will be played in Munich and Mexico City.

Organizers expect “mint” field conditions at the Bernabeu, which is expected to welcome some 80,000 fans on Sunday. A crowd of 78,610 watched the game last year. Tickets were still available for this week’s game.

“The field at Bernabeu is always in good condition,” De los Santos said. “As you know, this is priority No. 1 for Real Madrid, and we’re super happy. We had a happy feeling about the field last year, and we don’t see any indication that this year is going to be any different. We are expecting to have the field in mint condition.”

Last year, the Commanders practiced at Real Madrid's training center and the Dolphins used the stadium facilities of city rival Atletico Madrid. This time, the Bengals chose the home of Spain, which played two matches at the Falcons' stadium in Atlanta during the World Cup earlier this year.

“The good thing is that this year the Falcons are having their practices at (Madrid's training center), and they’re super used to deal with high-level athletes as the Falcons are," De los Santos said. "And, of course, the (Spanish soccer) federation as well, they’re super used to having the world champions.”

The halftime show will feature Colombian music star Manuel Turizo, but organizers will again have to comply with local noise regulations at the Bernabeu, which is located in an upscale residential neighborhood.

Concerts at the stadium have been suspended since 2024 following complaints from neighbors about excessive noise.

“Everything that has to do with the halftime show, and the event itself, it will be under the law and the regulations that we have in Spain,” De los Santos said. “We adjust to the regulations. That’s what we do.”

Madrid and the NFL have another year left on their agreement for games in the Spanish capital.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Atlanta Falcons players warm-up for NFL football practice in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski leads an NFL football practice in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski leads a NFL football practice in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Atlanta Falcons players warm-up during an NFL football practice in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Atlanta Falcons players warm-up during NFL football practice in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)