Iran warns of wider war if US attacks after Trump election rout

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Wednesday that the Middle East war would widen if the United States resumed attacks. His warning followed Republican losses in the midterm elections, which could constrain President Donald Trump but do not remove his power to order strikes. Trump said the United States was ready to act but that a full-scale return to war might not be necessary. Iran and mediators including Qatar and China continued diplomatic efforts to prevent renewed fighting.

Khamenei said hopes that political shifts in Washington or concessions to the United States would change its behavior toward Iran were mistaken.

Iranian state media reported five explosions on Qeshm Island after U.S. strikes on Tuesday; Trump said the target was an anti-aircraft facility and described the attack as minor.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said a U.S. MQ-1 drone was intercepted and destroyed over Qeshm Island, but the United States did not confirm the claim.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was pursuing dialogue and that Khamenei had granted the government new powers to negotiate on previously off-limits issues.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said both sides were reviewing proposals presented by Qatar, while China said preventing a return to hostilities was a diplomatic priority.

Published Nov 5, 2026 12:57 am KST

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. AP-Yonhap

TEHRAN — Iran's supreme leader warned on Wednesday that the Middle East war would widen if the U.S. resumes its attacks, dismissing hopes of a policy shift in Washington after midterm elections dealt a blow to President Donald Trump.

Trump has recently threatened to renew the war against Iran amid similar rhetoric from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but on Tuesday he suffered a resounding defeat in polls that will strip his Republicans of control over Congress.

The results could constrain Trump's ability to enact his agenda, though the president retains the power to order new strikes.

"Those who still harbour even the slightest hope that the behaviour of the hegemonic system might change through partisan or factional shifts, or who imagine that making concessions to the United States can dissuade it from hostility towards the Iranian nation, are seriously mistaken," Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written statement Wednesday.

He also warned that if the United States did choose further military action, the scope of the war would widen, without elaborating.

Khamenei has yet to appear in public since he took power in March following the killing of his father and predecessor in US-Israeli strikes, and has communicated through written messages.

Earlier, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the US, said Americans had voted against war in the midterms.

"Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message," he posted on X.

"If the U.S. govt betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare," Ghalibaf said.

Iran's judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei also hailed the election results, saying Trump had been "defeated both militarily and politically."

The war has proved unpopular among the U.S. public, who have seen the cost of living rise after a spike in energy prices caused by the war.

Trump on Tuesday acknowledged the conflict may have played a part in the defeat of his Republican Party.

"I think a part of it was Iran, but at the same time, people understood the importance of what I've done," Trump told Fox News.

On Tuesday the U.S. launched strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iranian state media reporting five explosions in rapid succession.

"They built an anti-aircraft facility... As soon as it was completed, we hit it last night very nicely," Trump told U.S. media, but he called it a "minor attack."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said a U.S. MQ-1 drone was "intercepted and destroyed" over Qeshm Island. There was no confirmation from the U.S. side.

Earlier this week the president said he still had to "take care" of one or two targets, including so-called Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran, a suspected nuclear site which Tehran denies is such a facility.

However, he told the Financial Times newspaper on Tuesday that a full-scale resumption of war may not be necessary.

"We seem to be getting everything we want," he said. "I'm ready, we're ready. We're locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it."

The president's remarks come with diplomatic efforts by mediators in full swing in an attempt to prevent any resumption of fighting.

On Tuesday Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government was still trying to resolve the crisis through dialogue.

Pezeshkian said Iran's supreme leader had granted the government new powers to negotiate on issues previously off-limits.

Qatar, a mediator in the protracted wrangling, said it remained hopeful of an interim deal.

Both sides "are currently reviewing the ideas and proposals we have presented," Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters.

China also said Wednesday that avoiding a return to hostilities was a top priority in its diplomatic efforts with the countries.

The war, triggered in February when the U.S. and Israel pummelled Iran in a massive wave of strikes, has been at a stalemate for months.

Iranian officials have repeatedly warned of wide-ranging retaliation if Washington resumes the war.

伊朗最高领袖哈梅内伊周三警告称，如果美国恢复军事行动，中东战争将会扩大。此前，共和党在中期选举中失利，这可能会限制特朗普总统的行动，但并不会剥夺他下令发动空袭的权力。特朗普表示，美国已做好行动准备，但全面重返战争可能并非必要。伊朗以及包括卡塔尔和中国在内的调解方继续进行外交努力，以防止战火重燃。

哈梅内伊表示，指望华盛顿的政治转变或对美国的让步会改变美国对伊朗的态度是错误的。

伊朗国家媒体报道称，美国周二发动空袭后，格什姆岛发生五起爆炸；特朗普表示，袭击目标是防空设施，并称此次袭击规模较小。

伊朗革命卫队称，一架美国MQ-1无人机在格什姆岛上空被拦截并摧毁，但美国方面尚未证实这一说法。

伊朗总统马苏德·佩泽什基安表示，伊朗正在寻求对话，哈梅内伊已授予政府新的权力，可以就以前禁区内的问题进行谈判。

卡塔尔外交部发言人马吉德·安萨里表示，双方正在审查卡塔尔提出的建议，而中国则表示，防止战事重燃是外交上的首要任务。

发布于2026年11月5日凌晨12:57（韩国标准时间）

周三，在伊朗首都德黑兰的前美国大使馆外，伊朗政府支持者在一年一度的纪念1979年美国占领大使馆周年集会上焚烧以色列国旗。（美联社-韩联社）

德黑兰——伊朗最高领袖周三警告说，如果美国恢复袭击，中东战争将会扩大。他驳斥了中期选举对美国总统唐纳德·特朗普造成打击后，华盛顿政策发生转变的希望。

最近，特朗普威胁要重启对伊朗的战争，以色列总理内塔尼亚胡也发表了类似的言论。但周二，他在民调中遭遇惨败，这将使他的共和党失去对国会的控制权。

尽管特朗普总统仍然有权下令进行新的打击，但选举结果可能会限制他推行其议程的能力。

伊朗最高领袖穆杰塔巴·哈梅内伊周三在一份书面声明中表示：“那些仍然抱有一丝希望，认为霸权体制的行为可能会通过党派或派系的更迭而改变，或者认为向美国做出让步可以阻止美国对伊朗民族的敌意的人，都大错特错了。”

他还警告说，如果美国选择采取进一步的军事行动，战争的范围将会扩大，但他没有详细说明。

自今年3月其父、前任在美以空袭中丧生后掌权以来，哈梅内伊尚未公开露面，一直通过书面信息进行沟通。

此前，伊朗与美国谈判的首席谈判代表穆罕默德·巴格尔·加利巴夫表示，美国人在中期选举中投票反对战争。

“无论是出于良心还是生活成本，美国人都对战争说‘不’，我们支持这一信息，”他在 X 上发帖说。

“如果美国政府背叛公众意愿，为国际金主和勒索者服务，它就会明白，我们的‘不’会带来噩梦。”加利巴夫说道。

伊朗司法部长戈拉姆侯赛因·穆赫塞尼·埃杰伊也对选举结果表示欢迎，称特朗普“在军事和政治上都失败了”。

这场战争在美国民众中不受欢迎，战争导致能源价格飙升，生活成本也随之上涨。

特朗普周二承认，这场冲突可能在共和党的失败中起到了一定作用。

“我认为部分原因是伊朗，但与此同时，人们也理解了我所做事情的重要性，”特朗普告诉福克斯新闻。

周二，美国对霍尔木兹海峡的格什姆岛发动袭击，伊朗国家媒体报道称，岛上发生了五次连续爆炸。

“他们建造了一个防空设施……它一建成，我们昨晚就对其进行了非常漂亮的打击，”特朗普告诉美国媒体，但他称这是一次“小规模袭击”。

伊朗革命卫队称，一架美国MQ-1无人机在格什姆岛上空被“拦截并摧毁”。美方尚未对此予以证实。

本周早些时候，总统表示他仍然需要“处理”一两个目标，其中包括伊朗中部所谓的“镐山”，该山被怀疑是核设施，但德黑兰否认是核设施。

然而，他周二告诉《金融时报》，全面恢复战争可能并非必要。

“我们似乎想要的一切都得到了，”他说。“我已经准备好了，我们都准备好了。如果需要出动，我们已经全副武装，但也许根本没有必要出动。”

总统发表上述言论之际，调解人正全力开展外交斡旋，试图阻止冲突再次爆发。

周二，伊朗总统马苏德·佩泽什基安表示，伊朗政府仍在努力通过对话解决危机。

佩泽什基安表示，伊朗最高领袖已授予政府新的权力，可以就以前禁区内的问题进行谈判。

作为这场旷日持久的争端中的调解人，卡塔尔表示仍然希望达成一项临时协议。

卡塔尔外交部发言人马吉德·安萨里告诉记者，双方“目前正在审查我们提出的想法和建议”。

中国周三还表示，避免战事重燃是其与这些国家外交努力的首要任务。

这场战争始于2月份，当时美国和以色列对伊朗发动了大规模空袭，但几个月来一直处于僵持状态。

伊朗官员多次警告，如果华盛顿恢复战争，伊朗将进行广泛的报复。