House Speaker Mike Johnson does not see the U.S. going to war against Iran, despite President Trump threatening military intervention if Tehran executes protesters.
Mr. Trump is offering “a strong show of moral support” for the Iranians speaking out against the country’s theocratic regime, the Louisiana Republican said in an interview with the BBC.
The speaker declined to say what Mr. Trump may do beyond offer that moral support but said he does not see the U.S. going to war against Iran, which would involve authorization from Congress.
“I don’t think we’re anywhere close to that, or any necessity of that,” he said. “We do want to encourage the flourishing of freedom, and I think this is a very welcome development. I think freedom-loving people around the world recognize that, and they’re applauding it and praying for the Iranians that they can continue this.”
Mr. Johnson said he agrees with Mr. Trump’s sentiment that “the indiscriminate killing of innocent citizens and protesters is detestable” and “must be stopped.”
But he didn’t think it would escalate to the level of U.S. military intervention.
Mr. Johnson also downplayed Mr. Trump’s threats of military intervention to acquire Greenland, saying the administration is pursuing diplomatic channels to achieve that goal.
“We should pay attention to his words, but I think people are heeding that,” he said. “I noted that the U.K. and some of our NATO allies have people there now. Maybe that was the point. Maybe that all of our friends and allies around the world have recognized anew the importance of that geography and that placement, and hopefully we can all work on that together.”
The BBC interview with Mr. Johnson comes ahead of his scheduled Tuesday address to the U.K. Parliament in honor of the 250th anniversary of American independence.
BBC host Laura Kuenssberg asked him if the U.S. now has another king given Mr. Trump’s conduct and his recent claim that the only limit on his power is his own morality.
“No, we don’t have a king. We have a strong commander in chief. And America needed that,” he said.
Mr. Johnson said Mr. Trump’s “peace through strength” agenda is not only good for America but also for everyone around the globe.
“He uses bravado sometimes to do it. That’s his personality,” the speaker said. “But you know what, the American people voted for a strong personality. We had, in my view, weakness for the four years that preceded his second term, and he needed to come in strong.”
