Iran hails US midterm election results as rejection of Trump’s war policy

Dubai: Iranian officials were emboldened by a stinging election setback for US President Donald Trump, and world leaders waited to see whether Washington would end the war with Iran.

Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed they fired strikes on an airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The Israeli military said it struck two suspects in Lebanon, killing one person.

Iran’s leaders say election shows US voters rejected Trump’s war

Iranians celebrated on Wednesday after US voters, concerned about the war and frustrated over rising prices for fuel, gave Democrats control of Congress in Tuesday’s vote — a major blow for Trump and his Republican Party.

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 US government ignores the vote for change, “it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare.”

But Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, dismissed thoughts that the US will change its approach to the Islamic Republic.

The broader region has been on edge for weeks over whether the US will resume full-scale military operations against Iran. Talks are ongoing aimed at preventing renewed fighting.

Underscoring the mutual hostility, 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.”

Houthis claim strikes on targets in Saudi Arabia

In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis on Wednesday claimed without providing evidence that they targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh as well as several areas in southern parts of the country.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said rebels fired a ballistic missile toward the airport, causing what he described as “major damages” to the airport. He also claimed that the group fired a drone at a radar installation and a ballistic missile at a command and control center in the Jazan province.

The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify these claims. The Saudi information ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Saudi civil defense issued an alert in Riyadh overnight and other warning alerts of potential “danger” in Jazan and Najran early Wednesday.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted oil and logistic facilities as well as airports in Saudi Arabia as part of their plan to fight what they describe as the kingdom’s “blockade” on Yemen.

7 killed in airstrike in Yemen, Houthis say

At least seven people, including two children, were killed in an airstrike Wednesday in Yemen’s southwestern province of Taiz, Houthi health authorities said.

The Houthi-run health ministry said in a statement the strike hit a house in the district of Maqbanah and also wounded six other children.

The Houthi media aired footage it said was of the struck building. The footage showed a heavily damaged concrete building, with large sections of the roof and walls collapsing.

The ministry blamed Saudi Arabia, which didn’t immediately comment on the accusations.

It was the latest deadly strike in Yemen since the country’s civil war was revived more than three months ago. The fighting pits the Iranian-backed Houthis against Saudi Arabia and its ally, Yemen’s internationally recognized government.