US House Speaker Johnson says lying is part of some Iranians' religion

September 2, 2026 at 07:20 AM3 min

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US House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday that lying is part of some Iranians' religion, defending President Donald Trump's decision to launch a war on Iran. Johnson praised Trump's 'steady hands at the wheel' and said the war was necessitated by Iran's proximity to a nuclear weapon. His remarks came as a University of Massachusetts poll showed 54 percent of Americans disapprove of US military actions against Iran.

Key Facts

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Tuesday that 'for some of them, it's, you know, apparently part of their religion that they can just lie to someone they disagree with.'
A University of Massachusetts poll released Monday found 54 percent of Americans disapprove of US military actions against Iran.
Johnson said the war was 'necessitated' because Iran was close to obtaining a nuclear weapon.
In June 2025, then-intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard told lawmakers that Iran was not weaponising its nuclear programme and Supreme Leader Khamenei had not authorised the weapons programme suspended in 2023.
On June 22, 2025, the US military bombed Iran's three main enrichment facilities, an attack Trump said had 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear programme.

Johnson's Remarks

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Johnson was asked about the increasingly unpopular policies under Trump, including the decision to join Israel in launching a war against Iran in February. Johnson praised Trump, saying the US president has 'steady hands at the wheel'. He said the problem has been that 'the Iranians simply cannot be trusted' and that they 'sit at a negotiation table and say something' then 'walk away and do the opposite'. Johnson added that 'for some of them, it's, you know, apparently part of their religion that they can just lie to someone they disagree with'. Lying is strictly forbidden in Islam, and Johnson's office did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment by time of publication.

Public Opinion and Election Impact

The war in Iran has been unpopular with the US public. On Monday, a nationwide University of Massachusetts poll suggested that 54 percent of Americans disapprove of US military actions against Iran. The conflict is expected to hurt Republicans' chances of retaining control of the House and the Senate in November's midterm elections. The conflict saw Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil and gas prices soaring both in the US and around the globe.

Nuclear Threat Justification

The Trump administration and its allies have repeatedly argued that the war was necessary to address an 'imminent' nuclear threat from Tehran. In Tuesday's news conference, Johnson returned to that argument, saying that the war was 'necessitated' because Iran was close to obtaining a nuclear weapon. That argument has been undermined by statements from within the US government. In June last year, Trump's then-intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, told lawmakers that Iran was not weaponising its nuclear programme. Gabbard said the intelligence community continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorised the nuclear weapons programme that he suspended in 2023. Within days of her remarks, on June 22, 2025, the US military bombed Iran's three main enrichment facilities, an attack Trump repeatedly said had 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear programme.