Ron Johnson breaks with Trump on bombing civilian infrastructure: 'Not at war with Iranian people'

Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson said Monday that he does not support the United States attacking Iranian civilian infrastructure amid conflict in the Middle East, signaling a rare break from President Donald Trump's recent actions toward Iran.

Trump has threatened to destroy Iran's civilian power grid and domestic infrastructure if the country fails to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf by Tuesday evening.

Johnson said he supports the president's decision to begin the conflict against Iran before it got too powerful, but does not support actions that could harm the Iranian people that the U.S. is attempting to "liberate." 

"I hope and pray that President Trump is just using this as bluster," Johnson said on the "John Solomon Reports" podcast. "I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure ... We are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them.

"We're at war with about a million of the elites, the [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps], the other security forces and the people who are brutally ruling that country," he continued. "They're not going to give it up easy. I warned [when] the first bombs were flying that this is not going to be an easy task." 

The senator urged U.S. allies and neighbors in the Middle East and Asia to step up more in combating Iran, including China, who could benefit from the Strait of Hormuz reopening because they need oil.

"They ought to be putting pressure on their client states to open up the strait to everybody," Johnson said. "Your freedom of navigation. That's what the American Navy has done for 75-80 years. We've assured freedom of navigation, which has opened up the world economy. That is a principle that still has to be upheld, but the world has to be engaged in that."

The comments come as the U.S. and Iran continue to engage in ceasefire negotiations. Iran rejected the most recent 45-day proposal, but Trump has declared he is still negotiating with an "active, willing participant" on the Iranian side.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.