In a surprise move, House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday called on President Donald Trump to end the Iran war once and for all.
Johnson began his remarks to Louisiana station KTAL by claiming the Iran war has been a resounding success.
“It’s been a priority and an objective of every administration, for nearly 50 years, to ensure that Iran didn’t have a nuclear capability,” he said. “Now that’s done. Operation Epic Fury was an epic success. The world is safer because of it.”
Listen:
Yet he continued by arguing that the Iran war needs “a resolution” sooner rather than later, in part because of the effect that the Strait of Hormuz not being open is having on the economy.
“We’ve got to bring that to a resolution,” he said of the war. “And the Strait of Hormuz not being open affects commerce. It directly affects gas prices and fuel prices. And also, you know, the price of groceries, for example, because they got to be transported, and the higher fuel prices are a factor in that as well.”
“Now, all that said, we acknowledge it,” he continued. “We got a lot of work to do. I think as soon as the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, and I think we’re entering a new phase of that very soon, then the president’s right. Gas prices come back down.”
According to Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News, Johnson’s surprising words are “in line with what other Republicans are saying,” which is “that it’s time for the Iran war to end.”
So it’s a growing sentiment — one buoyed by rapidly increasing cost of living and gas prices that Democrats are eagerly exploiting to their advantage:
When you’re driving past the gas station on the way to the grocery store this weekend, just remember that the cost of food and other goods is impacted by the prices at the pump and that the prices at the pump are due to Trump’s forever war in Iran.
— Missouri Democrats
(@MoDemParty) September 18, 2026
“Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran,” Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Republican, tweeted on Monday.
“The war with Iran needs to end, and end quickly,” Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers, another Republican, said in an ad published on social media this week. “Michigan families are struggling with the price of everyday life. Groceries cost too much. We have to bring prices down.”
Watch the ad below:
The war in Iran needs to end to bring costs down — but Michigan families can’t afford to wait.
Here’s what we can do now: place a temporary embargo on Diesel exports. American energy should provide relief to American families first. pic.twitter.com/15IS1tjnJS
— Mike Rogers (@MikeRogersForMI) September 21, 2026
“The war needs to come to an end as quickly as possible so that we can lower gas prices,” Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, another Republican, told Politico in an interview that was published Tuesday.
Even gubernatorial candidates are echoing this chorus.
“We need to end this war quickly because war is terrible, and no one likes war,” Michigan gubernatorial candidate John James, a Republican, told reporters on Tuesday.
Detroit News: John James calls for end of the Iran War
James: “We need to end this war quickly. Because war is terrible, and no one likes war.” pic.twitter.com/grXoKU3iQu
— Politics & Poll Tracker
(@PollTracker2024) September 22, 2026
Meanwhile, earlier this month Iowa Rep. Zach Nunn made it clear he isn’t down for “another open-ended war.”
“With the negotiating window closed, sustained combat operations now require congressional authorization,” he said in a statement. “Having deployed multiple times and flown over 700 combat hours in the Middle East, I will not support another open-ended war.”
Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks expressed a similar sentiment on social media.
Look:
I served 24 years in the Army. I said it in March: the mission had to stay focused and limited, because Americans do not want another forever war. I will not vote to keep our soldiers in an open-ended war, with Iowans paying too much at the pump.
The Iranian regime and its…
— Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (@RepMMM) September 16, 2026
“The President needs to present a plan to Congress and the American people for how this ends so we can focus on bringing our soldiers home and lowering prices,” she wrote.
