House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday said that the Pentagon sending 2,000 troops to the Persian Gulf is a message that Iran needs to “get their act together.”
But Johnson drew a line at calling the deployment “boots on the ground,” as he and other Republicans have refused to take any action to rein in President Donald Trump’s power to go to war.
“I think it sends a signal to Iran that they better get their act together,” Johnson told The Independent during his weekly press conference.
“We need to resolve this quickly. And that's the President's interest, and that's ours. It's everyone's.”
The comments come as the U.S. military is set to deploy soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. The New York Times reported that Trump is examining plans to seize Kharg Island, the main oil hub in Iran.
Johnson has insisted that “we’re not at war right now” despite the fact that the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have both used this word to describe their incursion in Iran. At the same time, he has also pushed for a military supplemental package in the wake of the war, saying the U.S. needs to restock its armaments amid the military operation in Iran.
In that respect, Johnson declined to classify the sending of troops as “boots on the ground.”
“The build up of troops is very different than boots on the ground,” he insisted. “We don't have boots on the ground. I don't think that's the intention, but I think Iran should watch that build up, and they need to take note of that.”
The Trump administration has been plagued by the consequent Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil supply, that came as a sresuklt of U.S. and Israeli bombing of Iran. On Wednesday, Iran informed the United Nations that “non-hostile” ships would be allowed to pass through the strait.
Trump and other Republicans have said the war will be short-lived. Trump campaigned in 2024 as a decidedly more isolationist Republican who would not engage in foreign interventions. But since returning to office, Trump engaged in a bombing campaign of Iran’s nuclear facilities in June and another regime-change campaign that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“I think that will wrap up in a short time period,” Johnson said.
Democrats have insisted that Congress pass a War Powers Act Resolution, which would require that the administration inform Congress within 48 hours of troops being deployed and that troops be withdrawn within 60 to 90 days if Congress has not declared war or authorized the use of military force.
On Tuesday evening, the Senate once again rejected a War Powers Act resolution. All but one Republican–Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky–opposed the resolution while every Democrat save for Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania (D-Penn.) voted for the resolution.
The United States and Israel launched its campaign against Iran on the last day of February. The campaign led to the killing of multiple top officials, including the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which led to the ascent of Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei becoming the new leader.
And despite the pledge for a limited operation, the war is now entering its fourth week. The campaign has rocked oil markets as the price of gas has taken a roller coaster ride.
On Wednesday, Iran rejected Trump’s claims that the United States and Iran have been holding “productive” peace negotiations. Rather, a spokesman for Iran’s military told state media that it would not stop fighting “until complete victory.”
