Iran Urges US Voters to Oust Trump Allies as Iraq Withdrawal Completes

By Ahmed Rasheed and Kanishka Singh

BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called on Americans to vote against President Donald Trump’s allies in Congress as U.S. forces completed their withdrawal from remaining bases in neighboring Iraq on Wednesday, a departure celebrated by Tehran.

Meanwhile, Qatar continued shuttle diplomacy aimed at ending the seven-month war between Iran and the United States. Trump again predicted Iran’s swift surrender.

The 26-page letter, published on Tuesday, urges Americans to use their political power to remove current leaders from office and reject U.S. support for Israel and military intervention abroad.

While the missive is unlikely to sway U.S. voters who may never see it—published only by Iranian media—it highlights issues that political analysts say are working against Trump and the Republican Party ahead of November 3 congressional elections. The opposition Democrats could retake one or both legislative chambers, potentially impeding Trump’s agenda.

“Remove from power the evil, deceitful, and violent politicians who are responsible for America’s current state,” the letter said. “Make sure your politicians understand that the world has changed.”

Trump campaigned in 2024 pledging to avoid new wars, end existing conflicts, and reduce inflation, but the war with Iran—which Trump launched alongside Israel—has contributed to higher global fuel prices and wider regional instability.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll published September 21 found just 17% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, the top issue Americans say will determine their November vote. Only 34% approved of the strikes on Iran.

Trump, who broke with Republican orthodoxy in 2016 by calling the U.S. invasion of Iraq a major mistake, allowed the final withdrawal on Wednesday, an agreement reached in 2024 under former President Joe Biden.

The withdrawal comes 23 years after U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein, triggering upheaval that eventually led to the rise of Islamic State.

QATARI MEDIATION

The U.S. war with Iran has drawn in Iranian allies across the region, including the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and militias in Iraq, which Riyadh blamed for the September 10 attack that knocked the East-West Pipeline in Saudi Arabia offline.

Iran, which says its ultimate aim is to force American forces out of the entire Middle East, frames the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq as a triumph for its “axis of resistance” of allied armed groups.

The United States and Iran have not found a path out of the war despite rounds of talks and several ceasefires.

Negotiations appeared to intensify during last week’s U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, but so far have not yielded an agreement to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the war began in February.

Qatar has again emerged as a would-be peacemaker after previously playing a supporting role in a June memorandum of understanding that led to a brief ceasefire. U.S. and Iranian officials spoke separately with Qatari mediators on Monday, though it was unclear whether exchanges occurred on Tuesday.

“We are exchanging messages between the parties, and we’re working towards establishing a common ground in order to get into a deal that would save all of us from the repercussions of the conflict,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told reporters.

Trump meanwhile repeated his position that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon and that the war would be over soon.

The conflict has degraded Iran’s conventional forces and damaged its already ailing economy, but Tehran has fought back with missile and drone strikes on U.S. allies in the Gulf and by restricting oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up global energy prices.

“I don’t know if they are going to give up yet but they’ll give up,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday.

“They are doing very poorly,” he added.

At the U.N. General Assembly last week, Iran floated a peace proposal that would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait and a pause in fighting.

Trump on Saturday rejected the plan, although Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that Washington had not officially relayed a U.S. rejection through mediators.

Trump has cited weakening Iran’s nuclear capabilities as one of his war objectives, along with ending its ability to attack its neighbors and creating conditions for Iranians to topple their leadership.

Iran, which does not have nuclear weapons, denies seeking them. The United States is nuclear-armed. Tehran says it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Muayad Hameed in Baghdad, Kanishka Singh in Washington, and Menna AlaaElDin in Cairo; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Michael Perry)

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