How Iran messaging highlights cost of war ahead of US midterm elections

Iran’s English-language messaging presents the war as an economic burden for ordinary Americans. Officials highlight fuel prices, inflation, falling consumer confidence, and heavy military spending. The message is aimed at the American public rather than only at US leaders. Tehran wants Americans to connect the conflict with everyday financial pressure.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf shared headlines about US inflation reaching 3.7 percent and mocked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with a Road Runner cartoon. He also posted an image linking rising diesel prices with weaker housing affordability and consumer confidence. The IRGC separately accused Trump of hiding the war’s economic cost.

This campaign is part of what analyst Sina Toossi called information warfare. Iran is not necessarily trying to elect Democrats, he said. Instead, it wants to increase the war’s political cost for Trump. That pressure could matter as Republicans defend control of Congress and Trump considers his next move after the November 3 vote.

US midterm elections are legislative elections held during a president’s term. Voters choose members of the House of Representatives and Senate. The article says Republicans are trying to retain control of both chambers, while Democrats are mounting a strong challenge. The elections therefore determine which party controls Congress.

Congress matters during a war because it influences military funding, legislation, and oversight. A president may direct military policy, but Congress can challenge that policy through spending decisions, investigations, and public debate. A hostile majority could make continued military action more difficult politically and practically. A supportive majority could provide fewer obstacles.

The article calls the vote a turning point because of what Trump might do afterward. Trump has suggested either pursuing a deal with Iran or returning to full-scale war after November 3. He says the election will not affect his Iran policy, while Iran is working to make the conflict matter to voters.

The article reports that US diesel reached an all-time record of $6.33 per gallon after the war began. Gasoline reached $4.33 per gallon. Before the war, gasoline cost less than $3. That means the reported gasoline increase was more than $1.33 per gallon, although the article does not give a precise starting price.

The reported price surge followed Iran’s disruption of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway is a major route for energy shipments, and attacks around it sent energy prices soaring. Iran intensified attacks on vessels after Trump and his aides repeatedly said the strait was under US control.

These figures became central to Iran’s messaging toward Americans. Ghalibaf connected higher diesel prices with declining consumer confidence and housing affordability. The price increases also fed broader inflation, according to the article. They gave Iran a clear way to present the war as a direct cost for drivers, households, and the wider US economy.

Since February 28, Iran has disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and intensified attacks on vessels around the waterway. The article links those actions to soaring energy prices. In the United States, diesel reached $6.33 per gallon and gasoline reached $4.33, compared with less than $3 for gasoline before the war.

Energy is a major cost affecting transport and many goods. When fuel becomes more expensive, businesses and households face higher bills. Those costs can spread through the economy and push overall inflation higher. The article says the energy-price increase did exactly that in the United States.

The higher inflation came when Trump was calling for lower interest rates to support economic activity. Instead, the US Federal Reserve raised rates last month. The article presents this as an economic consequence of the conflict. It also gives Iran a powerful political message: the war is affecting Americans’ daily expenses, not just distant military targets.

Iran may want Americans to associate the war with higher living costs because economic pain can make a foreign conflict politically unpopular. Its messages focus on fuel prices, inflation, housing affordability, consumer confidence, and military spending. The intended audience is the American public, especially voters approaching the midterm elections.

Ghalibaf shared a report showing inflation at 3.7 percent and a collage of negative economic headlines. He also posted an image showing diesel prices rising while housing affordability and consumer confidence fell. The IRGC accused Trump of lying about the war’s cost and warned that the US economy could suffer for years.

This strategy could increase what analyst Sina Toossi called the war’s political cost for Trump. Iran is not necessarily seeking a particular party’s victory, Toossi said. It is promoting its own narrative and trying to make the conflict harder for American leaders to ignore. Higher military spending and energy costs provide concrete symbols for that argument.

A Democratic takeover would give the party control of the House, Senate, or both, depending on the election results. The article says Democrats largely oppose the war with Iran. Control of Congress would therefore place key legislative and oversight powers in the hands of lawmakers challenging the president’s policy.

Congress can influence military campaigns through funding, authorizations, investigations, and hearings. A Democratic majority could scrutinize the administration’s claims, question military spending, and seek limits through legislation or appropriations. These tools could constrain a campaign even if the president retains important authority over military decisions.

The article does not specify which measures Democrats would pursue. It does show why the election matters politically. Democrats are challenging Republicans in traditionally conservative areas, including Texas, while Iran is highlighting the war’s economic costs. Trump has said he may seek a deal or return to full-scale war after November 3, making congressional control especially relevant.

Energy prices affect more than the cost of filling a vehicle. Fuel is tied to transportation and business operations, so a sharp increase can raise the cost of moving goods and providing services. Households also have less money available for other spending. These pressures can feed into wider price increases across the economy.

The article connects Iran’s disruption around the Strait of Hormuz with soaring energy prices in the United States. Diesel reached $6.33 per gallon, while gasoline reached $4.33, up from less than $3 before the war. It then states that the energy-price increase fueled overall inflation.

Central banks often respond to persistent inflation by raising interest rates, which can reduce economic demand. In this case, the US Federal Reserve raised rates last month while Trump called for cuts to stimulate activity. The article presents the decision as a conflict between containing inflation and supporting growth during a costly war.