Press in Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine reads the congressional election as a vote on the Iran war

On election day, Arab media show a line of their own. They read the congressional election above all as a vote on the war with Iran and its consequences. Fuel prices are one part of this, but the focus is on the war itself.

Egypt. In an analysis at El Watan News, Mona Salah writes that for Trump the war has turned from a foreign policy decision into a burden in the campaign. She draws on material from the news agency AP. The war is “عبء اقتصادي واختبار انتخابي لترامب”, that is, an economic burden and an electoral test for Trump. The Democrats are using the cost of living in the campaign (El Watan News, 3 November 2026, 8:59 CET).

Lebanon. In a report based on agency material, the newspaper Nidaa al-Watan writes that Americans are voting under the impression of anger over the consequences of the war. Trump said he was in no hurry to decide on new strikes. Qatar and Pakistan are mediating between Washington and Tehran (IMLebanon, reprinted from Nidaa al-Watan, 3 November 2026, 6:07 local time).

Palestine. An unsigned commentary on the portal Al-Kofiya sees Iran at an advantage. Tehran endured the war through the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump scaled back his war aims. Shortly before the election, Iran is now offering negotiations. The war ended in the struggle over Hormuz, it says (Al-Kofiya, 3 November 2026, 12:27 CET).

The three texts share the view that the war weakens Trump ahead of the election. They disagree on who benefits: El Watan and Nidaa al-Watan mainly describe the situation in the US, while Al-Kofiya interprets the outcome as a success for Iran. Voices from Israel or the Gulf states with a different view could not be found on election day up to the afternoon. All texts are assessments by the respective media. Earlier press reviews are under Reports, the forecasts on the Senate and House of Representatives pages.