{"id":482472,"date":"2026-04-08T20:15:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T01:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=482472"},"modified":"2026-04-09T20:35:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T01:35:20","slug":"cronkite-news-republicans-slam-president-trump-for-iran-war-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/04\/08\/cronkite-news-republicans-slam-president-trump-for-iran-war-threats\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Republicans slam President Trump for Iran war threats"},"content":{"rendered":" <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/04\/08\/cronkite-news-republicans-slam-president-trump-for-iran-war-threats\/operationepicfury\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-482508\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1362\" data-attachment-id=\"482508\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/04\/08\/cronkite-news-republicans-slam-president-trump-for-iran-war-threats\/operationepicfury\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/10\/OperationEpicFury.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1362\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Public Domain&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Operation Epic Fury\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;The Trump administration has labeled the repeated strikes on Iran as Operation Epic Fury. Photo: &lt;a href=https:\/\/www.dvidshub.net\/image\/9599730\/kc-135-stratotanker-refuels-fighter-aircraft-during-operation-epic-fury&gt;U.S. Air Force&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The Trump administration has labeled the repeated strikes on Iran as Operation Epic Fury. Photo: &lt;a href=https:\/\/www.dvidshub.net\/image\/9599730\/kc-135-stratotanker-refuels-fighter-aircraft-during-operation-epic-fury&gt;U.S. Air Force&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/10\/OperationEpicFury.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/10\/OperationEpicFury.jpg\" alt=\"Operation Epic Fury\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-482508\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">The Trump administration has labeled the repeated strikes on Iran as Operation Epic Fury. Photo: <a href=https:\/\/www.dvidshub.net\/image\/9599730\/kc-135-stratotanker-refuels-fighter-aircraft-during-operation-epic-fury>U.S. Air Force<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Trump threat to destroy Iran\u2019s civilization shocked supporters, raised war crime concerns<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Wednesday, April 8, 2026<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By George Headley and Alysa Horton, Cronkite News<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=\"source-website\"><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\r\n<p>WASHINGTON, D.C. &#8212; President Donald Trump&#8217;s threat that \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116363336033995961\">a whole civilization will die tonight<\/a>\u201d unless Iran complies with his demands left MAGA supporters and other Republicans deeply divided.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Carrying through on the threat \u2013 issued Tuesday morning, about 12 hours before a deadline he set for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz \u2013 would clearly amount to a war crime under U.S. and international law, according to legal scholars.<\/p>\r\n<p>And Trump promised during the 2024 campaign that he would not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/03\/03\/nx-s1-5733999\/trump-promised-the-maga-base-no-new-wars-then-he-went-to-war-with-iran\">get the U.S. into any new wars, particularly in the Middle East<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who was once a close Trump ally, called his threat <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FmrRepMTG\/status\/2041499550012084690\">\u201cevil and madness.\u201d<\/a> She urged the Cabinet to invoke the <a href=\"https:\/\/constitutioncenter.org\/the-constitution\/amendments\/amendment-xxv\">25th Amendment<\/a>, declare him unfit to serve and strip his power.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cNot a single bomb has dropped on America,\u201d Greene <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FmrRepMTG\/status\/2041499550012084690\">said on X<\/a>. \u201cWe cannot kill an entire civilization.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">25TH AMENDMENT!!!<br>Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. <br>This is evil and madness. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2mdogDRZN4\">pic.twitter.com\/2mdogDRZN4<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@FmrRepMTG) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FmrRepMTG\/status\/2041499550012084690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 7, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<p>Eighty minutes before his deadline, Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116365796713313030\">announced<\/a> a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, contingent on Iran reopening the strait to shipping on which world oil markets rely.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>The move eased tensions in at least two countries but did little to quiet the backlash sparked by Trump\u2019s threat earlier in the day, which far-right podcasters <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealAlexJones\/status\/2041502734268903820?s=20\">Alex Jones<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealCandaceO\/status\/2041520090038882448?s=20\">Candace Owens <\/a>equated to genocide.<\/p>\r\n \r\n<p>Jones said Trump sounded like \u201can unhinged supervillain from a Marvel comic movie\u201d and said that wasn\u2019t what he voted for.<\/p>\r\n<p>Owens said Congress and the military need to intervene because \u201cwe are beyond madness.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>In November, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and five others in Congress who served in the military or CIA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/Fk9Gh3qwW4I\">publicly urged military personnel<\/a> to refuse illegal orders, prompting Trump to accuse them of sedition.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIf the president takes the actions he has threatened to take, countless Iranian civilians will die, it will massively escalate this war, and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenMarkKelly\/status\/2041560786028446076\">the United States will be seen as a country without a moral or ethical compass<\/a>,\u201d Kelly said hours after Trump issued his threat Tuesday.<\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;A whole civilization will die tonight\u201d are words no President of the United States had ever spoken until this morning. Donald Trump\u2019s behavior is unhinged and making Americans less safe. After a 25-year career in the United States Navy, I have never met or served with anyone who\u2026<\/p>&mdash; Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenMarkKelly\/status\/2041560786028446076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 7, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<p>Last week, Trump threatened to destroy Iran\u2019s desalination plants. Water infrastructure on which civilians rely is <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2026\/03\/30\/trump-iran-war-crime-water-desalination\/\">not a lawful military target<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>For some of his longtime supporters, such threats \u2013 including the one to obliterate a 2,500-year-old civilization, considered one of the world\u2019s oldest \u2013 are excessive but not disqualifying.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI would like to see Trump lower the rhetoric,\u201d said three-time Trump voter Mick Sullinger, a 57-year-old technician and Marine veteran from Pittsburgh outside the White House during a visit to the capital. \u201cI think it does nothing, but it strengthens the other side&#8217;s resolve.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Sullinger yelled back at some anti-Trump protesters nearby and defended the president\u2019s broader goals in Iran.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThis is 50 years of a terrorist regime that has done nothing but hurt the West. It&#8217;s hurt our freedom and democracy. \u2026 It&#8217;s time to eradicate this regime,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Vice President JD Vance underscored Trump\u2019s threat during a speech Tuesday in Hungary at which he seemed to allude to a possible nuclear attack, though the White House rejected that interpretation.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HQNewsNow\/status\/2041507566451130766\">We\u2019ve got tools in our tool kit that we so far haven\u2019t decided to use<\/a>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">JD Vance doubles down on Trump\u2019s new post threatening \u201ca whole civilization will die tonight\u201d and implies Trump might use nuclear weapons <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GbxU602u6n\">pic.twitter.com\/GbxU602u6n<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HQNewsNow\/status\/2041507566451130766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 7, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<p>In Arizona, Carson Carpenter, a 20-year-old Trump voter who co-founded Off The Record USA, a conservative media company, said Trump\u2019s shift from his 2024 promise of no new wars has been disappointing.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Carpenter, a former president of College Republicans at Arizona State University, said he wasn\u2019t thinking much about foreign policy when he cast his vote.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>But now, he said, \u201cWe constantly see new conflict, which is \u2026 not a \u2018promises made, promises kept\u2019 agenda. That&#8217;s a \u2018promises made, promises forgotten\u2019 agenda.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>John Byrnes, the strategic director at <a href=\"https:\/\/cv4a.org\/\">Concerned Veterans for America<\/a>, a libertarian conservative group, also said Trump\u2019s rhetoric may have gone too far. CVA has advocated for <a href=\"https:\/\/cv4a.org\/project\/end-endless-wars\/\">limited U.S. military presence<\/a> in the Middle East and an end to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IkRcLGXZHFM\">forever wars<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe language of destroying a civilization is extreme,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we really are at the point where that is the goal of this war, then it&#8217;s imperative that Congress be involved in a declaration of war or authorization use of military force.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Rick Wilson, co-founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/lincolnproject.us\/\">The Lincoln Project<\/a>, a group of anti-Trump Republicans, said the president \u201cis an unhinged maniac who is threatening to destroy a civilization for kicks.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cHe has no goals, no plans, and no idea where he is,\u201d he said by email. \u201cHe\u2019s encouraged by a White House staff trying to out cheer each other despite the damage he is doing to the economy. Every American should be afraid and call their Members of Congress to rein in this lunatic before it\u2019s too late.&#8221;<\/p>\r\n<p>Selina Cardenas, a veteran and the deputy director of organizing in Arizona for the left-leaning group <a href=\"https:\/\/commondefense.us\/\">Common Defense<\/a>, called Trump\u2019s threat \u201calarming.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe risk of civilian harm cannot be dismissed as collateral damage, and threats directed at civilian infrastructure raise legal and moral concerns under international law,\u201d she said. \u201cIf carried out, such actions could also have far-reaching geopolitical consequences, including disruption to regional energy supplies that the United States and our allies rely on.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>After Kelly\u2019s warning last fall about illegal orders, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered him demoted, with a reduction in retirement pay. The senator retired as a captain after 25 years as a Navy pilot that included combat and four tours in space for NASA. None of the other Democrats had served long enough to retire, so he is the only one still potentially subject to military justice.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_indianz-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/02\/13\/cronkite-news-judge-sides-with-democratic-lawmaker-in-dispute-with-trump-administration\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/10\/markkelly-2.jpg\" alt=\"Cronkite News: Judge sides with Democratic lawmaker in dispute with Trump administration\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/02\/13\/cronkite-news-judge-sides-with-democratic-lawmaker-in-dispute-with-trump-administration\/\">\n\t\t\tCronkite News: Judge sides with Democratic lawmaker in dispute with Trump administration\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/02\/13\/cronkite-news-judge-sides-with-democratic-lawmaker-in-dispute-with-trump-administration\/\">\n\t\t\t<p>A federal judge ruled that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth cannot demote Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) over comments made about the U.S. military.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"Indianz.Com\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<p>In February, a <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2026\/02\/12\/judge-blocks-demote-kelly-hegseth\/\">judge temporarily blocked<\/a> Hegseth\u2019s actions, which he deemed a direct assault on free speech and legislative oversight. The case is set for arguments in May before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>More than 100 experts on international law signed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justsecurity.org\/135423\/professors-letter-international-law-iran-war\/\">letter last week<\/a> asserting that Trump\u2019s actions in Iran have violated the United Nations Charter and could amount to war crimes.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swlaw.edu\/faculty\/full-time\/rachel-e-vanlandingham\">Rachel VanLandingham<\/a>, a retired judge advocate and Air Force lieutenant colonel, was one of the signers.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>She said in an interview Tuesday that while it\u2019s lawful to destroy so-called dual use infrastructure that supports both civilians and the military, that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s good policy or morally defensible.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhat I fear is that there&#8217;s going to be huge target sets generated,\u201d she said.\u00a0&#8220;It&#8217;s awful but it&#8217;s lawful.&#8221;<\/p>\r\n<p>But she\u2019s also confident that military leaders would ensure that only lawful actions were taken, even if the president orders strikes on a scale intended to erase Iranian civilization.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIf indeed, the president&#8217;s rhetoric is being turned into an order down the chain, that order is not being followed,\u201d she said. \u201cIt&#8217;s being translated into lawful targeting sets.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<HR>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<p>This <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2026\/04\/07\/trump-iran-civilization-threat-fallout\/\">article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\">Cronkite News<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/favicon1.png?resize=85%2C85&amp;ssl=1\" style=\"width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;\"><\/p>\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" id=\"republication-tracker-tool-source\" src=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?republication-pixel=true&#038;post=101957\" style=\"width:1px;height:1px;\"><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: \"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2026\/04\/07\/trump-iran-civilization-threat-fallout\/\", urlref: window.location.href }); 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