ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Democratic senators are pushing for an end to the war with Iran following their party's major victory in the midterm elections, as the conflict continues to drive up fuel prices and the cost of living.
"The next step, I think we need to bring this war to an end," Democratic Senator Mark Warner told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda on Wednesday, noting that "that was the overwhelming verdict of the American people.”
“I think we as we think about extracting us from this war of choice, we've got to make sure that communities in the region who've supported us consistently, like the Kurdish community, don't get left behind,” he added.
The remarks follow the Republican defeat in the US midterm elections earlier this month, widely attributed to rising living costs and oil prices driven by the US-Israeli war with Iran.
The conflict, which began in late February 2026, drove Brent crude oil prices from approximately $72 a barrel to a peak of $126 a barrel by the end of April, as tit-for-tat restrictions imposed by Iran and the United States on the Strait of Hormuz disrupted global energy supplies.
"They should never have entered into this war," Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen said on Wednesday, emphasizing, "they're in it without the consent, advice and consent of Congress and clearly the American people are not behind them. Oh, and by the way, people have died, are injured, and our service bases, bases all around the region have been decimated."
US President Donald Trump acknowledged a day after the elections that his party's defeat was linked to the conflict, saying the blame was "largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit, short term."
However, he maintained that his policy would continue in a bid to prevent nuclear proliferation, stressing that military confrontation was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and that he would make the same decisions again.
Despite their victory, Democrats could face significant obstacles in efforts to end the war, as Trump retains the power to veto legislation passed by Congress.
Democrats won control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the midterm elections and are set to take control of both chambers in January 2027.
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