Speaker Johnson: Iran Strike Was 'Defensive Operation'

House Speaker Mike Johnson stated on Monday that a U.S. strike against Iran was a defensive operation. Johnson explained that the action was designed to prevent substantial casualties to American troops and assets. He argued that delaying a response until after an initial Iranian strike would have led to far greater losses.

The action was designed to prevent substantial casualties to American troops and assets.

Rationale for Defensive Action

Johnson noted that Israel was determined to act in its own defense, even without U.S. support. This determination stemmed from perceiving an existential threat from Iran's accelerating missile development. He referenced Iran's historical vows to eliminate Israel.

U.S. Threat Assessment and Preemptive Action

Johnson elaborated that U.S. command and administration officials evaluated potential threats to American personnel, installations, and assets in the region. He asserted that if Iran had deployed its full missile arsenal (short and mid-range) against U.S. positions, the U.S. would have sustained significant casualties.

Johnson expressed his conviction that the U.S. decision to act preemptively was correct. He further stated that a failure to do so, given existing intelligence, would have prompted strong questioning from Congress.

Johnson expressed his conviction that the U.S. decision to act preemptively was correct.

Objective: Not Regime Change

Johnson also indicated his belief that the objective of the strike was not to achieve regime change in Iran.