Iran's judiciary chief says Trump lost 'in war and in politics' after US vote

The head of Iran's judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, has responded to the results of the elections in the United States with an attack on President Donald Trump, saying the American leader had been defeated both on the battlefield and at the ballot box. According to News.co.il, Mohseni-Ejei said Trump had lost "both in war and in politics" and added that Iran would "surely" inflict more defeats on him.

The Israeli broadcaster N12 carried the same remarks in a post by its correspondent Sapir Lipkin, rendering them as a statement that Trump had "failed" in both war and politics and that Iran would force further failures upon him. News.co.il described the comments as one of a series of reactions from senior Iranian figures to developments in American politics.

Who is Mohseni-Ejei

Mohseni-Ejei leads Iran's judicial branch, one of the three branches of the Islamic Republic's state alongside the presidency and the parliament. In Iran's system, the head of the judiciary is appointed by the Supreme Leader rather than elected, and the post is one of the most senior positions in the country's clerical establishment. Its holder oversees the courts and prosecutors and sits among the small group of officials who shape the regime's domestic and foreign posture.

Because of that standing, a statement from the judiciary chief on a foreign political event carries more weight than routine commentary from a lower-ranking official. It is generally read as reflecting the tone of the leadership in Tehran, although the reports do not say whether the remarks were coordinated with other parts of the government.

Two Israeli outlets, two translations

Both reports came from Hebrew-language Israeli outlets, and both appear to be translations from the original Persian. The two versions differ in wording though not in substance. News.co.il has Mohseni-Ejei saying Trump "lost" and that Iran would cause him additional "defeats". N12 has him saying Trump "failed" and that Iran would impose further "failures" on him. Neither report quotes the original Persian text or identifies where the remarks were delivered, whether in a speech, a meeting or a written statement.

The gap between "defeat" and "failure" is small, but readers comparing coverage may see either rendering in English-language reporting as the statement circulates further.

The context the remarks assume

The comments tie two separate arenas together. The political half refers to the elections in the United States, whose results Mohseni-Ejei was reacting to, according to News.co.il. The military half refers to a "war" in which, in his telling, Trump came out the loser. Neither report specifies which conflict he meant, and this article does not assume one.

Iranian officials have long framed confrontation with Washington in terms of resistance and eventual American retreat, and senior figures in Tehran frequently comment on US domestic politics, particularly when they can present it as a setback for an administration that has pursued pressure on Iran. The phrasing reported here, pairing a claim of past defeat with a promise of more to come, fits that established pattern of official rhetoric.

For Israeli readers, Iranian statements about the US president are closely watched because Washington is Israel's principal ally and because Iran is regarded in Israel as its main regional adversary. Shifts in American politics are read in both capitals for what they may mean for policy toward Iran and its allies in the region.

How this report was put together

The account above draws on two short Hebrew-language posts published on the Telegram channels of News.co.il and N12 within about an hour of each other. Both attribute the same core statement to Mohseni-Ejei. No Iranian outlet or official transcript is cited in either post, and no reaction from Washington is included.

What the reports do not say

The reports do not identify which war Mohseni-Ejei was referring to, where or in what setting he spoke, or what form the further "defeats" he promised might take. They do not name the other senior Iranian officials whose reactions News.co.il mentioned, and no response from the White House or the Trump administration has been reported.