TEHRAN -– Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Friday that the Republicans’ defeat in U.S. mid-term congressional elections was a rejection of President George W. Bush's “war-mongering” policies and a victory for Iran.

“This is not just a U.S. domestic incident; it is the failure of Bush’s war-mongering and aggressive policies,” Ayatollah Khamenei told well-wishers in Damghan, Semnan Province.

“As Iran has always been the target of Washington’s hostile and war-mongering policies, this defeat is a victory for the Iranian nation at the current political juncture,” he said.

Democrats seized control of both houses of Congress in Tuesday’s election, with many voters saying they cast ballots for the party’s candidates in protest over how the Bush administration has managed the war in Iraq.

“Today with the failure of U.S. policies in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, and Afghanistan, the U.S. threats are seen as empty,” he added.

The Leader also denounced the Zionist regime’s ongoing atrocities in Gaza, saying that Israel lost face in its 34-day war against Hezbollah and is trying to get revenge in Palestine.

“The savage Zionist regime’s crimes in Gaza proved once more that it is useless to hold talks with this occupying regime,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader said that all the ideals of the Islamic Revolution, especially the social justice, will be achieved by relying on the people, particularly the talented youth.