Washington — In the hours between President Trump threatening to eradicate a “whole civilization” unless Iran agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz and the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, Republicans in Congress remained mostly silent about Mr. Trump’s threat.
The president had given Iran a deadline of 8 p.m. Tuesday to reopen the strait, a critical channel for global oil trade, or face attacks on its civilian infrastructure. Twelve hours before the deadline, and about 11 hours before he announced a ceasefire, Mr. Trump posted an ominous message on Truth Social.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” he said.
Rep. Nathaniel Moran of Texas appeared to be the first Republican in Congress to express unease, saying Tuesday afternoon that he does “not support the destruction of a ‘whole civilization.'”
“That is not who we are, and it is not consistent with the principles that have long guided America,” he wrote, adding that “how we protect the lives of the innocent is just as important as how we engage the enemy.”
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said Mr. Trump’s threat “cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran.”
“Everyone involved—especially the President and Iran’s leaders—must de-escalate their unprecedented saber-rattling before it is too late,” she said in a social media post.
Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, who recently switched his party affiliation from Republican to independent, also weighed in, urging Mr. Trump against the escalation.
“The United States does not destroy civilizations. Nor do we threaten to do so as some sort of negotiating tactic,” he wrote.
The lack of condemnation from most congressional Republicans stood in stark contrast to the dozens of Democrats who called for Mr. Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment or impeached over the rhetoric. By Tuesday afternoon, more than 70 Democrats in both chambers had called for his removal, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“Donald Trump’s instability is more clear and dangerous than ever,” the California Democrat said in a statement. “If the Cabinet is not willing to invoke the 25th Amendment and restore sanity, Republicans must reconvene Congress to end this war.”
Rep. John Larson, a Connecticut Democrat, announced Tuesday afternoon that he had introduced articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump, although that effort has no chance of succeeding with Republicans in the majority.
Some conservatives outside of Congress, who were once fervent Trump supporters, also condemned the president’s threats. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones were among those calling for Mr. Trump’s removal.
Less than two hours before the 8 p.m. deadline, Mr. Trump announced the ceasefire, provided Iran agreed to the “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,” delaying the threatened large-scale attack.