Iran's IRGC releases letter urging US voters to oust Trump allies

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released a 26-page open letter on 29 September 2026 addressed to the American public, urging voters to remove Donald Trump's allies from Congress at the 3 November congressional elections. The letter asks Americans to reject US support for Israel and military intervention abroad, and was presented by IRGC spokesman Gen Hossein Mohebbi at a news conference in Tehran.timesofindia.indiatimes.com+1

What the letter asks Americans to do

The letter's central instruction is blunt: "Remove from power the evil, deceitful, and violent politicians who are responsible for America's current state." It adds, "Make sure your politicians understand that the world has changed." The IRGC also asks Americans to question why their government continues military confrontation, and argues that taxpayers bear the financial burden of US wars. The spokesman Gen Hossein Mohebbi said he hoped voters would hear the message.

The IRGC claims the war's stated goals were never reached. According to the letter, targets shifted repeatedly after earlier objectives, including regime change and partition of Iran, were not achieved. The listed aims ranged from forcing Iran's unconditional surrender and destroying its nuclear and missile programmes to taking control of the Strait of Hormuz. The letter declares Iran the victor, claiming thousands of US and Israeli strikes damaged infrastructure but failed their aims.

The letter's release coincides with polling that shows domestic pressure on Trump. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on 21 September 2026 found just 17% of respondents approved Trump's handling of the cost of living, which Americans say is the top issue determining their November vote. Only 34% approved of the strikes on Iran. US political analysts say the issues the letter identifies are working against Trump and the Republican Party ahead of the 3 November elections.independent.co.uk

Where the polling numbers came from

The war has pushed fuel prices higher, complicating Trump's 2024 campaign pledge to avoid new wars, end existing conflicts and bring down inflation. The conflict, launched alongside Israel, has spread across the Middle East and drawn in Iranian allies including the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and militias in Iraq. Trump allowed the final US withdrawal from Iraq on 30 September 2026, agreed in 2024 by former President Joe Biden.

Iran's economy remains under severe strain even as it claims victory. The rial fell to a new record low, with traders in Tehran exchanging more than 2.5 million rials for one US dollar. Meanwhile, Qatar continues shuttle diplomacy to end the seven-month-old war. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said, "We are exchanging messages between the parties, and we're working towards establishing a common ground."

What the war has cost at home

Trump has rejected Iran's peace proposal. At the United Nations General Assembly, Iran floated a plan that would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a pause in fighting. Trump rejected the plan on Saturday, though Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that Washington had not officially relayed a rejection through mediators. Trump told reporters, "I don't know if they are going to give up yet but they'll give up."

The letter also reworks one of Iran's most recognisable slogans. The IRGC document argues that "Death to America" targets the US political establishment rather than the American population, calling it "a prayer for the eradication of the diabolical ruling elite whose seat of power is the White House." The approach echoes Cold War-era efforts to reach an adversary's population directly, including English-language broadcasts by Vietnamese broadcaster Trinh Thi Ngo during the Vietnam War.

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed to normal traffic. Negotiations during last week's UN General Assembly meeting in New York did not yield an agreement to reopen the waterway, through which 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the war started in February. Gen Mohebbi rejected US claims that Iran had lost leverage over the strait, arguing that movement of a limited number of vessels did not mean it was fully open.

The next dated event is the congressional election on 3 November 2026, when voters will decide whether Trump's allies retain control of one or both legislative chambers. Qatari mediators continue to shuttle between Washington and Tehran, and US forces completed their withdrawal from remaining Iraqi bases on 30 September 2026.