Few Republicans condemn Trump's Iran threat, Democrats call for removal

Politics Few Republicans condemn Trump's Iran threat as Democrats call for his removal By Caitlin Yilek Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation. Read Full Bio Caitlin Yilek Updated on: April 7, 2026 / 7:35 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google 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 o...