Hardliners believe US Republicans' defeat price of taking on Iran

Many Iranian hardliners believe that Donald Trump's failure in the midterm election of the United States is due to his war with Iran, while other Iranians are worried about the potential of renewed military conflict.

"Anyone who takes on Iran will pay the price -- from the battlefield to their own doorstep," said Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, following the U.S. Democrats' win in both houses of Congress.

For many Iranians, the Republicans' defeat reflects growing public frustration in the U.S. over the economic toll of the war.

"The Republicans lost because of the war. It caused inflation to rise, oil prices to rise and made life harder for people, which led to a loss of public trust in Trump. Now that the Republicans have lost both houses of Congress, for this very reason, I think Trump has nothing left to lose and will wage war in order to declare victory," said Nahid, a Tehran citizen.

But there are Iranians who are concerned over a negative impact of the failure.

"The Republicans' defeat in the recent elections is undoubtedly linked to the recent conflict involving the United States and Iran, which had an impact," said Abdolsamad, another Tehran citizen.

Beyond public opinion, Iranian analysts are assessing the broader strategic implications of the election results. Akbar Masoumi, an international relations expert, argued that the dimensions of the war far exceeded U.S. expectations.

"It seems that the dimensions of the war with Iran were much broader and beyond the imagination of the United States and Trump himself. One could say that Trump made a miscalculation in attacking Iran. Things went in a direction that permanently diminished the United States' element of influence in Iran. Today, we are witnessing the influence of the Islamic Republic within the United States of America. My interpretation is that what happened in the election was not a victory for the Democrats, but rather a victory for Iran," said Masoumi.

Despite the political setback for the Republicans, concerns remain over Washington's next moves, with the possibility of renewed military action still being discussed.

"Look, the reality is that given the U.S. military assets in the region -- along with the fact that they have scaled back diplomatic missions in many countries to a semi-suspended status -- it seems the Americans are aiming for a high-intensity, yet limited, war inside Iran," said Masoumi.

Ultimately, for many Iranians, the U.S. midterm elections were never just about political shifts in states like Michigan or Texas. The central focus remains on what these results mean for the future of the conflict with Iran -- whether the region will face another round of confrontation or if diplomacy will ultimately prevail.

Hardliners believe US Republicans' defeat price of taking on Iran

China's Ministry of Commerce on Friday urged the European Union (EU) to face up to its own economic and trade problems and address mutual concerns through dialogue and consultation.

A spokesperson for the ministry made the remarks in response to a media query on its decision to launch anti-dumping investigations into imports of para-aramid filament yarns and ethylidene norbornene originating in the EU.

The two anti-dumping investigations were launched following applications from domestic industries, the spokesperson added.

Preliminary evidence provided by the applicants showed that from 2023 to the first half of 2026, imports of para-aramid filament yarns from the EU remained at a high level, with prices falling by more than 50 percent cumulatively.

Imports of ethylidene norbornene from the EU and other regions grew 27.35 percent cumulatively from 2023 to 2025, and rose 56 percent year on year in the first half of 2026, with prices trending downward.

The dumped imports have caused damage to the production and operations of the domestic industries, according to the applicants.

In accordance with Chinese law and WTO rules, these applications meet the conditions for filing anti-dumping investigations, the spokesperson said, adding that China will conduct investigations in accordance with laws and regulations, fully protect the rights of all interested parties, and make an objective and fair ruling.

The spokesperson noted that the EU has launched 16 trade remedy investigations against China since the start of 2026, nearly double the number from a year earlier, of which nine involve chemical products, accounting for nearly 60 percent. Since mid-October, the EU has successively launched anti-dumping investigations into Chinese products including furfuryl alcohol and polyvinylidene fluoride.

Compared with the EU's number of trade remedy cases against China, China has consistently exercised prudence and restraint in the trade remedy field, the spokesperson added.

Protectionism cannot enhance the EU's competitiveness, while dialogue and consultation are the right path to resolving mutual concerns, the spokesperson said. 

China urges EU to resolve mutual concerns through dialogue, consultation