Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has directly appealed to American voters to reject US President Donald Trump’s allies in Congress, as American forces completed their withdrawal from Iraq.
In a 26-page open letter released on September 29, the IRGC urged US voters to use their political power to remove current leaders from office and oppose US support for Israel and military intervention overseas.
The appeal came as the final US troops were due to leave their remaining bases in Iraq on September 30. The withdrawal fulfills a 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad and marks the end of a US military presence in Iraq that began with the 2003 invasion.
Tehran has portrayed the withdrawal as a significant development in its broader effort to remove US forces from the Middle East. Iran has long opposed the US military presence in the region, while American officials have maintained that their deployments are intended to address security threats and support regional partners.
The IRGC’s message also comes ahead of the November 3 US congressional elections. The letter criticized Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran and argued that American voters should reconsider their support for politicians backing the administration’s military policies.
The conflict has also become an economic issue for American voters. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published September 21 found that 17% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, while 34% approved of US strikes against Iran.
Meanwhile, the seven-month conflict between Washington and Tehran continues despite repeated diplomatic efforts. Qatar has been conducting separate discussions with US and Iranian officials in an attempt to establish common ground and revive negotiations.
One of the main unresolved issues is the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for global energy supplies. Negotiations have so far failed to produce an agreement on reopening the waterway, while restrictions on tanker traffic have contributed to higher energy prices.
Iran recently proposed a plan that would have triggered a seven-day countdown toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz and pausing hostilities. Trump rejected the proposal, although Iranian officials said Washington had not formally communicated its rejection through mediators at the time.
The US withdrawal from Iraq therefore comes at a complicated moment for the region, with American troops leaving one long-running theater while the US-Iran conflict remains unresolved. Iraq now faces questions over its security environment, including the potential influence of Iran-backed armed groups and the risk of renewed Islamic State activity.
