Concerns over Donald Trump’s threats against Iran are beginning to emerge within Republican ranks, alongside Democrats calls for his removal. Trump’s warning to destroy Iran if it failed to meet US demands drew criticism globally. But officials maintained the rhetoric was intended as a negotiating tactic.
In a social media post ahead of a deadline, Trump wrote, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” He later announced a two-week ceasefire.
Republicans push back
Some Republicans publicly distanced themselves from the remarks. Senator Ron Johnson, a close Trump ally, said on the John Solomon Reports podcast that he hoped the comments were “bluster.”
“I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure… We are not at war with the Iranian people,” Johnson said, according to ABC News.
Texas Republican Representative Nathaniel Moran also rejected the idea of targeting a country at such a scale, writing that he does not support “the destruction of a ‘whole civilization’,” adding, “That is not who we are.”
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Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski criticised the rhetoric as “an affront to the ideals our nation,” warning it could endanger Americans at home and abroad, ABC News reported.
Former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said, “We cannot kill an entire civilisation. This is evil and madness,” while also raising the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment.
Democrats escalate calls for action
Democrats have responded with criticism and renewed calls for impeachment or invoking the 25th Amendment. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned, “We cannot risk the world… We are playing with the brink,” while Senator Chuck Schumer called Trump an “extremely sick person” for his remarks, as reported by ABC News.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Republicans to act, saying Congress must “stop the madness” and prevent further escalation.
International criticism has also mounted. Reuters reported that Iran’s UN ambassador described Trump’s threat as “deeply irresponsible” and “profoundly alarming,” while Pope Leo called such rhetoric “unacceptable.”
Also Read: ‘Not the end of war’, says Mojtaba Khamenei even as Iran military ordered to cease firing
Inside the White House: ‘Creating leverage’
Despite the backlash, White House officials defended Trump’s approach. Reuters reported that aides viewed the rhetoric as a strategy to pressure Iran into concessions.
“He’s creating leverage through unpredictability… He wants Tehran to blink,” one official said, according to Reuters. Another official acknowledged some internal unease but said the language was part of a broader negotiation effort.
Trump has demanded that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and warned of possible strikes on infrastructure such as bridges and power plants if it does not comply. When asked if targeting such sites could violate international law, Trump said, “No, no I’m not,” according to ABC News.
