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President Donald Trump’s support for his war with Iran began to publicly fray within his own party, as some in the GOP bucked the president’s threat Tuesday morning.
Trump has for several days suggested he would order the military to destroy much of Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including energy sites and bridges, if the country does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump planted that flag again Tuesday morning, declaring that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not act before his 8 p.m. Eastern deadline. While the threat was reversed shortly before the deadline in a Truth Social post revealing a two-week ceasefire after talks with Pakistani leaders, Trump’s strategy is unpredictable.
“Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated,” Trump wrote. “On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution.”
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He added the administration received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and officials “believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”
While Republicans have largely kept quiet about the war, many are refusing to use the term despite Trump referring to it as such on several occasions. But his latest threat has rattled some in the GOP, who view it as a betrayal of how America operates in wartime.
Still, they aren’t calling for Congress to reassert itself as Operation Epic Fury continues in the Middle East.
“So, let me be clear: I do not support the destruction of a ‘whole civilization,’” Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, wrote on social media Tuesday afternoon. “That is not who we are, and it is not consistent with the principles that have long guided America.”
“I have and will continue to support a strong national defense—one that is focused, disciplined, and firmly rooted in protecting the safety and security of the American people,” the Texas Republican added. “But, how we protect the lives of the innocent is just as important as how we engage the enemy.”
And Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who has bucked Trump on Venezuela but largely toed the party-line on Iran, called for the saber-rattling to end.
She charged that his threat “cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran.”
“This type of rhetoric is an affront to the ideals our nation has sought to uphold and promote around the world for nearly 250 years,” Murkowski said on X. “It undermines our long-standing role as a global beacon of freedom and directly endangers Americans both abroad and at home.”
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Others, like Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a close ally of the president’s, hoped that Trump’s threat was “bluster.”
“I do not want to see that we are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them,” Johnson said.
Though they are publicly breaking with the latest threat, none have called for legislative action. Both Murkowski and Johnson have repeatedly voted against war powers resolutions pushed by Senate Democrats seeking to block Trump’s authority in Iran.
Still, Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, has vowed to oppose more funding for the president’s Iran campaign until Congress votes to authorize the war, and former Republican-turned independent Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., wants Congress to conduct oversight of the president’s Iran campaign.
Neither chamber has conducted an oversight hearing so far.
“The United States does not destroy civilizations. Nor do we threaten to do so as some sort of negotiating tactic,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., who recently left the Republican Party ahead of a potentially bruising reelection bid, wrote on social media.
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Congressional Democrats erupted against Trump’s threat Tuesday with many lawmakers calling for the president’s impeachment or removal via the 25th Amendment. Some Democrats, including Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., have said those proposals are “unrealistic” in the face of widespread GOP opposition.
The House and Senate are not scheduled to return to Washington until the week of April 13.