Democrats’ Midterm Win Raises Pressure on Trump Over Iran

Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections, setting up a new period of scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s Iran policy while leaving the likelihood of renewed US attacks uncertain. Trump said Wednesday that the war contributed to Republican losses but maintained he would have made the same decision. He also said the United States would continue its course in Iran. In remarks reported after the election, he said the operation was necessary to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Democratic leaders have said they intend to use their new congressional power to investigate the administration and press for a change in policy. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would work to end the war and use Congress’s spending authority to deter military action without public consent. The incoming Congress is not due to take office until January 2027. The election’s practical effect on the conflict is disputed. Some Gulf governments, according to two people familiar with their thinking, see Trump as having greater incentive to negotiate an end to the war, making another large-scale offensive less likely. That is an...