ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Set to lose control of Congress, the US Republican Party was dealt a severe blow in Tuesday's midterm elections, with President Donald Trump admitting that the economic ramifications of the Iran war played a role in the defeat.

The rival Democrats as of early Wednesday morning have secured 53 seats in the Senate and 210 in the House of Representatives thus far, per the latest Associated Press tolls, already earning them a majority in the former and placing them well on track to secure control of the latter as well.

51 seats are required for a majority in the Senate, while 218 are needed for the House. By winning control of both chambers of Congress the Democrats will be able to play a far greater role in hindering legislation pushed by the president and refuse to approve funding for Trump-backed initiatives.

"I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" the US president said of the sweeping defeat on Truth Social.

Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday night, Trump acknowledged that increased fuel prices as a result of the war on Iran played a salient role in the routing.

"I think a part of it was Iran, but at the same time, people understood the importance of what I've done with Iran," he said. "People agree with what I'm doing on Iran, but they really probably weren't willing to deal with the short-term consequence of paying more for gasoline."

"I had the best economy in my first term... but because of the gasoline price, people don't see it as much as they would have without it."

Global fuel prices fluctuated substantially over 2026 as a result of the conflict, with Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupting energy supply and mixed messaging by the Trump administration, with the president himself repeatedly bouncing from threats of greater hostilities to assurances that a peace deal is close, hampering market confidence.

"Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message," Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X on Wednesday.

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

Iran had vocally called on US voters to utilize the midterm elections as a means of rebuking Trump for the war and its consequences, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in late September addressing an open letter to American citizens in which it called on them to "wrest control back from corrupt politicians" and challenge the "lying administration."

The midterm defeat comes as Trump reportedly is considering launching a fresh offensive against Iran, having previously vowed not to strike the country until after the vote. On Tuesday, Trump confirmed that US forces struck an Iranian anti-aircraft facility on Qeshm Island the night prior, terming it a "minor attack."