Amna Nawaz:
Well, Tuesday’s election results weren’t just closely watched here at home. In many ways, U.S. elections are becoming global events. And this Democratic wave has generated extraordinary momentum.
Nick Schifrin assesses this reaction, starting with Iran.
Nick Schifrin:
In the dark streets of Iran, overnight, the regime threw President Donald Trump in prison. This false hold follows Democrats locking in their Election Day victories. Iranian leaders resisted a pre-election deal and believe they contributed to President Trump’s election defeat.
Iran’s chief negotiator appreciated the rebuke and said the war must end. But Iran’s supreme leader warned that divided US government would not lead to US concessions, a sentiment echoed on the streets of Tehran.
Ali Akbar Mashayekhi, Iranian protester (through interpreter):
It’s always the same cycle, negotiations, then war, then back to negotiations, then war again. We are not afraid of war. If they want to fight, we will fight back.
Nick Schifrin:
Trump agreed with his vice president that the war in Iran, now entering its ninth month, has triggered a blue tsunami.
President Donald Trump:
That’s largely true because it pushed gas prices up a bit in the short term.
Nick Schifrin:
But the war has only brought Iran closer to its allies, including Russia. Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted the head of Iran’s National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei. Iranian weapons designs helped Russia target Ukraine.
And this was the case again today when Russian drones and missiles struck Kyiv. Ukrainian officials tell “PBS News Hour” they are skeptical the new Congress will be able to change U.S. policy. But some European leaders hope a new Democratic Congress can make a difference.
Kaja Kallas, High Representative of Foreign Affairs, European Commission:
I hope the new Congress and Senate will continue to support Ukraine and put more pressure on Russia.
Man:
Today, democracy has won in America.
Nick Schifrin:
Across Europe, some officials are publicly breathing a sigh of relief and describing Democrats as kindred spirits. And in the Global South, some leaders have said midterm elections could result in a reset.
Cyril Ramaphosa, South African president:
I really think this will usher in a new era in global relations.
Nick Schifrin:
But the current leaders of a country do not appreciate this new era.
President Donald Trump:
We have already agreed that by the end of this year we will not pay Israel.
Nick Schifrin:
On FOX News earlier this week, President Trump announced that the United States would stop providing subsidies to Israel to purchase American planes and weapons. Israel will now have to use its own money.
Abdul El-Sayed, senator-elect from Michigan:
I think the fact that we are fighting the war in Iran is a function of what the Israeli Prime Minister wanted.
Nick Schifrin:
And this election has produced what may prove to be the most hostile U.S. Congress in history. Democrats now face a choice: go further and try to block arms sales to Israel or end funding for the war in Iran.
Amna Nawaz:
And Nick is here with me now.
Nick, let’s start with this war in Iran. Where are the negotiations to end it?
Nick Schifrin:
A senior regional official and a senior U.S. official both told me that before the elections, the two sides were close to a deal that would have returned them to the memorandum of understanding from earlier this year. In fact, one manager, Amna, told me it was 80 percent there.
And that deal would have included an agreement allowing Iran to reduce its highly enriched uranium. Today, ahead of the June 2025 strikes, the U.N. nuclear agency reported that Iran possessed nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent, a small step toward weapons-grade. Iran’s agreement to reduce its stockpiles would constitute a significant concession on its part.
This would also mean that the United States would accept enriched uranium from Iran, at least for now, Amna. The deal would also include lifting U.S. sanctions and unfreezing some Iranian assets, and it would have reopened the strait without any tolls, these officials said.
At that time, Vice President Vance even wrote a letter to the man we just showed was in Moscow today, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei. At the same time, Amna, a senior U.S. official, told me that President Trump had told his regional allies that the United States would return to bombing Iran with a short, intense campaign.
And then he said, well, this campaign was postponed, but he didn’t say it was canceled. And today the president said it could happen soon. Today, in the Oval Office, the president said — quote — “And now we’re going to make a decision. Do we want to go further and certify it? By certifying it, that means this won’t happen again. I think it will take 25 years to rebuild the country.”
He concluded: “I would prefer not to destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You will find out soon enough.”
Amna Nawaz:
So the big question is how, if at all, do these midterm election results play into all of this?
Nick Schifrin:
So it’s interesting that regional officials tell me that they fear that this will actually change Iran’s calculus. The regime took advantage of rallies this week to celebrate the Democrats’ victory. And regional and U.S. officials tell me that Iran is privately and publicly gloating about not having given the president the deal he wanted and therefore contributed to the Republican defeat.
And these regional officials fear that Iran will now pursue tougher negotiations now that it feels it has, in some way, won the midterm elections. On the American side, we saw this extraordinary message on X from Vice President Vance, right?
He cited the war and U.S.-Israel relations among the main reasons pollsters believe Republicans lost the election. He went on to say — quote — “The reason we lost was the war” — unquote.
U.S. officials tell me that he and Steve Witkoff are pushing for a deal between President Trump and Iran, while, on the other side, some military and civilian defense officials, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are pushing to resume this intense campaign.
The third option available to the president, Amna, is to do nothing, but rather to maintain this economic pressure and see how far it can go.
Amna Nawaz:
We will see which option he chooses.
Nick Schifrin, thank you very much.
Nick Schifrin:
THANKS.
Gn usa
