Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Mar 11: Mike Johnson, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, said on Tuesday that the United States should not be involved in nation-building in Iran, a day after Donald Trump described the US military operation there as “the beginning of building a new country”.
Speaking during a discussion with NBC News at House Republicans’ annual policy conference in south Florida, Johnson said he did not support such an approach.
“I don’t support nation-building. I don’t think it’s our role,” said Johnson, a Republican lawmaker from Louisiana.
He said while the United States plays a significant role globally as a defender of freedom and liberty, it should not intervene everywhere or undertake large-scale reconstruction efforts abroad.
“Does that mean that we should be intervening everywhere around the world and nation-building and doing all these other endeavors? No, because we don’t have the resources or the appetite to do that. That’s not our responsibility,” he said, adding that America’s role should be to “project peace through strength”.
Johnson echoed Trump’s earlier remarks urging the Iranian people to take control of their government. “The Iranian people need to rise up, as the president has tried to encourage, and secure that opportunity for themselves,” he said, adding that allies might help but it was not America’s responsibility to rebuild the country.
Trump had addressed House Republicans on Monday at the Trump National Doral Miami golf resort, describing the conflict in Iran as “a short-term excursion” and suggesting that the mission was largely complete. However, he also warned that Iran would face “death, fire and fury” if it attempted to block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Republican Congressman Michael McCaul of Texas said deploying US ground troops in Iran would be a mistake.
“We’re not good at it. I mean, we’re good at breaking things. We’re not good at rebuilding them,” said McCaul, the former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Johnson also said he had not been briefed on reports that Russia may have been sharing intelligence with Iran about US military positions in the Middle East, but warned that such actions would be concerning.
He said stronger sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin could be considered if such developments were confirmed.
In domestic politics, Trump has recently urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, stating that he would not sign other legislation until it is approved.
Johnson said legislative work in Congress would continue and indicated he would discuss the matter further with the president. He also expressed confidence that Republicans would retain their majority in the House in the upcoming midterm elections despite historical trends that often see the ruling party lose seats.