The characterization echoes other post-election assessments of the 2026 cycle. Responsible Statecraft reported that Democrats flipped six Senate seats, including in reliably red states such as South Carolina, Texas and Kansas, in what it described as a rebuke to President Donald Trump's first two years in office [1]. The Ron Paul Institute, in its own post-election commentary, argued that the results represented a rejection of Trump's decision to go to war with Iran [2].
De Zayas' remarks were presented by Sputnik as his own assessment of the midterm candidates' policy priorities rather than as findings from any formal survey or study [3]. The Conference Board, in a separate policy backgrounder, identified affordability, the economic effects of the war in the Gulf, health care, AI data centers and perceptions of public corruption as among the issues that dominated the midterm debate [4].
Senate Control and Limits on Trump Agenda
Public opinion data during the campaign pointed to eroding support for the war. A CNN/SSRS poll released Sept. 22, 2026, found that GOP approval of Trump's handling of the war with Iran had dropped 13 percentage points between March and September as fuel costs and economic strain weighed on voters ahead of the Nov. 3 election, NaturalNews reported [5]. A Reuters poll from March 1, cited by the Mises Institute, found that only 27% of Americans polled said they supported the new war on Iran [6].
Iran Risks and Diplomatic Options
The warning came amid heightened regional tensions. Middle East Eye reported in October 2026 that U.S. diplomats were preparing for embassy evacuations and that neither Iran nor the U.S. felt the need to make concessions, risking a second round of war [7].
NaturalNews reported that Trump had ordered airstrikes on Iranian military targets on Sept. 1, 2026, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps positions, according to U.S. Department of War officials [8]. Separately, the Health Ranger Mike Adams wrote in NaturalNews that the war, which began in February 2026, was a fool's errand from the start [9].
UN Role and Call for International Conference
"We need an international peace conference," Sputnik quoted him as saying.
His call for restraint comes as regional powers have moved to reshape their own security arrangements; Middle East Eye reported that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement in Mecca on Aug. 7, 2026, a development its columnist David Hearst described as a response to American weakness [10].
Diplomatic channels had also shown signs of activity. Trump said U.S. officials met with an Iranian delegation for three hours on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22, 2026, according to multiple news reports cited by NaturalNews [11].
References
- ‘It’s the war, stupid’: Dems sweep midterms on wave of voter anger. https://responsiblestatecraft.org/midterm-elections-2026-results/
- Iran War Drags Republicans Down, Gives Democrats Blowout Victories. https://ronpaulinstitute.org/iran-war-drags-republicans-down-gives-democrats-blowout-victories/
- US Elections Offer Choice Between 'Bad and Worse' as. https://sputnikglobe.com/20261104/us-elections-offer-choice-between-bad-and-worse-as-both-parties-serve-war-lobby---ex-un-expert-1125008719.html
- Policy Backgrounder: Top Issues in the Midterms. https://www.conference-board.org/research/policy-backgrounders/top-issues-in-the-midterms
- Republican Support for Iran War Falls as Fuel Crisis Grows, Polls Show - NaturalNews.com, September 24, 2026. by NaturalNews.com
- The Iran War Exposes the Farce of American “Representative Democracy”. https://mises.org/mises-wire/iran-war-exposes-farce-american-representative-democracy
- Escalation is coming': Middle East on edge as new Israeli-US attack on Iran looms. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/escalation-coming-middle-east-edge-new-israeli-us-attack-iran-looms
- Trump Orders Iran Strikes, Raising Questions About Midterm Impact - NaturalNews.com, September 04, 2026.
- Hopeful But Not Out of the Woods Yet: A Brutal Analysis of the Iran Peace Deal - NaturalNews.com, June 18, 2026.
- The Mecca Agreement represents a welcome show of force for the region. https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/the-mecca-agreement-represent-welcome-show-of-force-for-the-region
- Trump: U.S. and Iranian Officials Hold Three Hour Meeting at UN Sidelines - NaturalNews.com, September 24, 2026.
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