Thousands of Iranians gathered outside the former US Embassy in Tehran on Wednesday for an annual anti-American rally, celebrating the defeat of President Donald Trump`s Republican Party in the US midterm elections.

Chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" echoed through central Tehran as demonstrators waved Iranian national flags and displayed banners sharply criticizing Washington and Tel Aviv.

One prominent banner depicted President Trump as a bloodstained bulldog chained to a demonic figure resembling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Other placards called for retaliation over the killing of Iran`s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died during joint US-Israeli airstrikes in late February that escalated into wider regional conflict.

A large banner declared that the Iranian people had determined the price of the war, positioned alongside a map of the world lined with black oil barrels symbolizing the sharp rise in global energy prices resulting from Tehran`s control over the Strait of Hormuz.

The rally, commemorating the 1979 storming of the US Embassy and subsequent hostage crisis, drew participants reflecting on the political shift in Washington.

"America has oppressed us for years, but they have failed to destroy Iran," said 40-year-old rally participant Mahmudkhani.

The demonstration coincided with President Trump`s major political setback in the midterms, widely viewed as a public referendum on his second-term administration amid soaring living costs, tariff shifts, and public dissatisfaction over the Iran conflict.

"We are certainly not pleased with the surging oil prices, but there is some satisfaction in knowing we are no longer suffering alone after facing years of international sanctions," Mahmudkhani added.

Tehran`s assertion of authority over the vital maritime trade corridor has severely disrupted commercial shipping, prompting Washington to respond with naval blockades targeting primary Iranian ports.

Majid Heidari, a 62-year-old fabric merchant in Tehran, noted that sky-rocketing energy costs directly influenced American voters.

"When Europe and the United States align against us, using this tool became necessary. Creating pressure on those governments by confronting their citizens with economic hardship was our only alternative," Heidari said, though expressing skepticism over whether political shifts in Washington would alter conditions for ordinary Iranians.

A government official named Mohammad echoed similar sentiments, stating that policy outcomes remain largely identical regardless of whether Democrats or Republicans hold power, citing five decades of hostile US policy toward Iran.

In Tehran`s first official reaction to the US midterm election results, lead negotiator with Washington Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf welcomed the voter turnout.

"Whether driven by conscience or uncontrolled living costs, the American public has clearly said `no to war,` and we fully support this message," Ghalibaf posted on social media platform X.

However, ongoing diplomatic talks mediated by Qatar and Pakistan aimed at establishing lasting peace between Tehran and Washington have registered limited progress amid fears of renewed military escalation.

Bagheri, a primary school principal in Tehran, expressed anger toward US leadership, stating that the United States remains an adversary regardless of who occupies the White House.