Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Monday provided his first public comments on the US operation against Iran, emphasizing that it would be "limited in scope" and "limited in objective."
His remarks came after a classified “Gang of Eight" briefing for top lawmakers on Capitol Hill amid the escalating Middle East conflict.
“I think that operation will be wound up quickly, by God’s grace it will," Johnson said in response to a question from CNN.
Johnson also stated that the joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran this weekend should not be considered the start of an official war. “It’s not a declaration of war," Johnson told reporters, explaining that the strikes were “defensive in nature and in design."
His comments aligned with those of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also characterized the US operation as “defensive," emphasizing that Israel had already planned to strike Iran, which would have prompted immediate retaliation against the US.
“And if we had waited to respond before acting first, then those losses would have been far greater than if we had done what we did," Johnson added.
Johnson defended the US action, asserting that if President Trump had not acted decisively, lawmakers would have questioned the delay. "If the president, the commander-in-chief, had not acted as he did, those same officials would have been hauled in here by members of Congress and asked them, Why in the world, they waited it?" Johnson said. “I am convinced that they did the right thing."