Cargo vessels in the Persian Gulf, in proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, pictured from northern Ras al-Khaimah, close to Oman’s Musandam province, in the midst of the U.S. and Israeli disagreement with Iran, within the United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. Reuters
Republican Representative Mike Turner defended the ongoing U.S. war against Iran this past Sunday, stating that he does not anticipate American land forces being needed to re-establish unobstructed passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
"I don’t foresee U.S. ground forces as essential in any direct confrontation," Turner conveyed to ABC News' "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos after being questioned if ground forces would be required to unlock the waterway.
"The straits are going to be accessible," Turner told Stephanopoulos, while noting the U.S. cannot permit Iran to persist in advancing missile capabilities or atomic weapons that might jeopardize American soil and Europe.
Representative Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio, is shown on ABC News’ “This Week” broadcast on April 5, 2026.ABC News
"You have to be equipped to handle this…major supporter of terrorism, this…global power ambition that Iran holds," he articulated.
Turner's utterances appear subsequent to President Donald Trump’s consistent indications that the Strait of Hormuz does not constitute a U.S. issue.
"The United States imports virtually zero petroleum by way of the Hormuz Strait and will not be importing any in the future. We have no requirement for it. We haven’t required it and we have no need for it," Trump expressed this past Wednesday during a televised speech to the nation, asserting that it falls on other nations to safeguard the waterway.
"We will provide aid, but they must assume the primary role in securing the petroleum that they rely upon so heavily," he clarified.
Turner communicated that despite the conflict’s repercussions on worldwide petroleum marketplaces, the consequences of U.S. inaction against Iran would have been more significant.
"Without question, Iran will have avenues to pursue during the engagement," Turner mentioned. "However, if this engagement isn’t taken on, if one simply retreats and observes, mimicking the prior administration’s intentions as Iran transitioned to a nuclear power and effectively mirrored North Korea, the Strait of Hormuz wouldn’t be under discussion," he further added, claiming that a nuclear-equipped Iran would hold the world "hostage through a terrorist entity."
"They are still in a notable state of reduction," Turner explained, "and their capacity to progress towards becoming a nuclear nation is being neutralized."
Sourse: abcnews.go.com