Iran has turned US President Donald Trump's midterm election setback into a public celebration. Thousands gathered in Tehran for anti-US and anti-Israel demonstrations, cheering as images of Trump, US Vice President JD Vance and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were burned. Iranian officials have portrayed the Republican Party's losses as a political setback for Washington. Trump has acknowledged that the Iran war played a role in the election outcome, while continuing to defend the US military campaign. With Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress, Trump's military decisions could face greater scrutiny. But Tehran is warning against expectations of a major shift in American policy.

Iran has executed Amirhossein Maleki and Amirhossein Ebrahimi, two men convicted over the killing of four police officers during the January 2026 protests in Isfahan. The executions have drawn international attention after activist Masih Alinejad and Reza Pahlavi's office raised urgent concerns and appealed for global intervention. Human rights groups had reported allegations of torture, unfair trials and concerns over the defendants' legal proceedings. Families were reportedly summoned for final visits before the executions. Iran's judiciary maintains that the death sentences followed legal reviews and were upheld by the Supreme Court. The executions have renewed scrutiny of Iran's crackdown on protesters and the growing number of executions linked to the January unrest.