Top US lawmaker Mike Johnson says lying is part of some Iranians’ religion

Mike Johnson, the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, has suggested that lying is part of Iranians’ religion as he defended President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a war on Iran.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Johnson was asked about the increasingly unpopular policies under the Republican president, including his decision to join Israel in launching a war against Iran in February.

The House speaker responded by praising Trump, saying the US president has “steady hands at the wheel”. After addressing the US trade war with Canada, he turned his attention to the Iran war.

“The problem has been – and the reason we’ve been frustrated – is that the Iranians simply cannot be trusted. They’ll sit at a negotiation table and say something. They’ll walk away and do the opposite,” Johnson said.

“For some of them, it’s, you know, apparently part of their religion that they can just lie to someone they disagree with, so that’s been a difficult thing.”

Lying is strictly forbidden in Islam. Johnson’s office did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment by time of publication.

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.