House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) expressed hope that “cooler heads” will prevail in the conflict between Israel and Iran despite the latter country being “an irrational actor.”
Trump’s peace deal between the Middle Eastern countries, announced Monday evening, was jeopardized after the two countries exchanged attacks four hours before the ceasefire was set to begin. Iran violated the ceasefire shortly after it began at 7:00 a.m., prompting harsh criticism from President Donald Trump against both countries.
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Johnson has spoken with Trump following the strikes, about which the president was “frustrated” amid the “fragile” ceasefire between Israel and Iran. For the next steps, the speaker and Trump are advocating that Israeli leaders not escalate the situation against Iran.
“We need to calm the situation down. I’m optimistic that’ll happen. I think the president is as well,” Johnson said on Fox News’s Fox & Friends. “We’re on the verge of real peace in the Middle East, and we got to forge that.”
Amid reports that Iran is working to rebuild its nuclear program “immediately,” Johnson suggested there is “not much left” for the country to rebuild following the United States’s strikes. However, he acknowledged it is “very frustrating” for Iran to be pushing this idea in the wake of Trump’s ceasefire deal, and the country is “not to be trusted.”
Johnson also directed criticism toward the lawmakers who are accusing Trump of not consulting with Congress before striking Iran’s nuclear sites. He said previous presidents did not make a similar effort before carrying out strikes against other countries, and he suggested these lawmakers should be called on their “hypocrisy.”
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on X that Israel “forcefully attacked in the heart of Tehran” at 3 a.m., after which Iran launched “a barrage of missiles” just before the ceasefire took place, killing four Israeli citizens. Following another attack Iran carried out after the ceasefire started, Israel is refraining from future attacks.
On Truth Social, Trump said Israel will not attack Iran and will instead conduct “a friendly ‘Plane Wave’” to the rival country as Israeli planes return home. He has also vowed that Iran will not rebuild its nuclear facilities.