US House speaker insists military campaign against Iran ‘all but done’

By AP 21 March 2026, 5:49 pm

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US President Donald Trump and US House Speaker Mike Johnson walk through the Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill after a Friends of Ireland luncheon in Washington, DC, on March 17, 2026. (Jim Watson/AFP)

US President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans appear unlikely to directly challenge him, even as the conflict drags on. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said the military operation will be over quickly.

“I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now,” Johnson tells the AP and others at the Capitol this week. “We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles, and their means of production, and neuter the navy, and those objectives have been met.”

Johnson acknowledges that Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz is “dragging it out a little bit,” especially as US allies have largely rebuffed the president’s request for help, but says “As soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think it’s all but done.”