West Asian leaders react to Trump victory in US elections

Israel said the election result was a ‘great victory,’ while Iran said its ‘policy does not change’ based on individuals  

News Desk - The Cradle

Regional and world leaders reacted on 6 November to Donald Trump’s victory in being elected as the 47th president of the US, which marked the controversial businessman’s second time in office. 

“I congratulate my friend Donald Trump, who won the presidential election in the US after a great struggle and was re-elected as the President,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan via X on 6 November. 

“In this new period that will begin with the elections of the American people, I hope that Turkiye-US relations will strengthen, that regional and global crises and wars, especially the Palestinian issue and the Russia-Ukraine war, will come to an end; I believe that more efforts will be made for a more just world,” Erdogan added. 

He expressed hope that “the elections will be beneficial for our friendly and allied people in the US and for all of humanity.” 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others in his government have shown joy over Trump’s re-election. 

"Dear Donald and Melania Trump, Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback! Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!” Netanyahu said on X. 

“Yesssss,” wrote Netanyahu’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. 

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said “We urge Trump to learn from [US President Joe] Biden’s mistakes,” adding that the new president will be “tested” on his statements about being able to end the war on Gaza “within hours” and calling for the end of Washington’s “blind support” for Israel. 

Moscow has reacted cautiously to the election. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said it was important that Trump “started talking about how America is sick and that the problems of American society need to be addressed" during his victory speech. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "Let us not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country, which is both directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state [in Ukraine]."

"We have repeatedly said that the US is able to contribute to the end of this conflict. This cannot be done overnight, but ... the US is capable of changing the trajectory of its foreign policy. Will this happen, and if so, how ... we will see after (the US president's inauguration in) January," he added, referring to Trump’s statements that he is capable of swiftly ending the war in Ukraine. 

An Iranian government spokesperson, Fatemeh Mohajerani, said “US elections are not really our business. Our policies are steady and don't change based on individuals. We made the necessary predictions before, and there will not be a change in people's livelihoods," referring to US sanctions on Iran.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Deputy Commander in Chief Ali Fadavi did not comment specifically on Trump’s re-election but vowed on Wednesday that Tehran is ready for a confrontation with Israel, and does not rule out US–Israeli pre-emptive attacks to try to prevent Iran’s promised retaliation to the Israeli attack on its soil last month.

The late commander of the IRGC Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, was assassinated by a US airstrike under Trump’s administration in 2020.

In 2019, the US under Trump recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which was illegally occupied by Israel in 1967. One year earlier, Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed harsh sanctions against Tehran in a move highly satisfactory to Israel. In 2017, he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the US embassy to the occupied city. 

Trump has been described as among the most staunchly pro-Israel presidents in US history. Despite this, he recently criticized Netanyahu for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood happening “on his watch.”

Hebrew newspaper Haaretz reported in June that Trump received a pledge from the widow of late US businessman Sheldon Adelson to support his presidential campaign with millions of dollars.

The report adds that Miriam Adelson seeks, in exchange, US support for Israeli annexation of the West Bank and recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied territory.