Republican rebuke? See what some GOP figures said about Iran war

President Donald Trump's escalatory rhetoric ahead of his self-set deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz drew some rebukes from members of the Republican party before a ceasefire was announced April 7.

Trump threatened in an Easter Truth Social post that the United States would strike civilian infrastructure if Iran did not open the key passageway for oil and petrochemical shipping the country shut in reaction to U.S. and Israeli attacks.

The president first said that April 7 would "be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one" in the post, setting an 8 p.m. ET deadline, adding "Open the [expletive] Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah." Trump said in a post on the morning of April 7 that "a whole civilization will die tonight."

However, about 90 minutes before the deadline, Trump announced on Truth Social that he had suspended "the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks."

International law experts and aid groups have alleged that intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, can constitute a war crime. Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said in a statement that the April 7 post "may constitute a threat to commit genocide" and "brazenly shreds core rules of international humanitarian law, with potentially catastrophic consequences for over 90 million people."

Criticism from within Trump's own party continued a divide within the MAGA movement over the war. Conservative critics have said that the war goes against the anti-interventionist "America First" promises that brought Trump back to the White House.

Polls show the Iran war is broadly unpopular, but most Republicans approve of how Trump is handling the conflict. A CNN survey released last week found that while just 33% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling Iran, 73% of Republicans approve.

Here are the Republicans that have spoken against the potential escalation of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Marjorie Taylor Greene

Former MAGA figure and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said that Trump's Easter post "is not making America great again, this is evil."

In response to the April 7 Truth Social post, Greene called for the invocation of the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.

Tucker Carlson

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson called Trump's Easter threat against Iranian civilian infrastructure "a war crime" and "a moral crime" in the April 6 episode of "The Tucker Carlson Show."

Carlson said that destroying power plants would lead to the death of civilians, saying "babies connected to incubators die. People in hospitals die." He also took issue with the language Trump used, criticizing him for “tweeting out the f word on Easter morning” and "mocking the religion of Iran.”

The former Fox News host has criticized the Iran war from the start and Trump told the New York Post that "Tucker’s a low IQ person that has absolutely no idea what’s going on," in an April 7 interview.

Sen. Ron Johnson

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, a staunch Trump ally, expressed concerns about attacking Iranian bridges and power plants.

“I am hoping and praying … this really is bluster,” Johnson said April 6 on the "John Solomon Reports" podcast. “I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure. I do not want to see that.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said that Trump's "civilization will die tonight" post was "an affront to the ideals our nation has sought to uphold and promote" in an April 7 X post.

"Everyone involved—especially the President and Iran’s leaders—must de-escalate their unprecedented saber-rattling before it is too late," Murkowski wrote.

Rep. Nathaniel Moran

Texas Rep. Nathaniel Moran said, "I do not support the destruction of a "whole civilization," in an April 7 post on X. He noted that "I have supported the President’s decisions relating to the Iranian conflict because they were consistent with these authorities and the ultimate goal of protecting national security interests."

Rep. Kevin Kiley

California Rep. Kevin Kiley said that "the United States does not destroy civilizations," in an April 7 post on X.

What comes next in Iran?

Trump's ceasefire announcement capped a whirlwind day that was dominated by his threat to destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran unless Tehran reopened the strait. That unnerved world leaders, rattled global financial and energy markets and drew widespread condemnation, including criticism from the head of the United Nations and Pope Leo.

Pakistan had for weeks acted as a mediator between the United States and Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an April 7 statement announcing the ceasefire that Iran had acted "in response to the brotherly request" of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, told USA TODAY in a written message that the ceasefire was the work of "leadership in concert" and came from "persistent/patient diplomacy." More diplomacy was needed, he said.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council portrayed the deal as a victory over the United States, claiming Trump had accepted Iran's conditions for ending hostilities.

"The truth is that President Trump and our powerful military got Iran to agree to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and negotiations will continue," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that the negotiations will begin April 10, but that Iran does not trust the United States, according to Al Jazeera.

The outlet reported that the council said that the ceasefire "does not mean an end to the war" and that the country will accept an end to the war when the plans details are "finalised in the negotiations.”

Contributing: Reuters