WASHINGTON — A handful of elected Republicans spoke out Tuesday against President Donald Trump’s threat of wholesale destruction against the Iranian people.

The token Republican pushback to Trump’s genocidal threat to destroy a “whole civilization” was less notable than the silence of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), but represented the first sign of dissent about the war spreading among elected Republicans in Washington beyond a handful of libertarian-leaning skeptics of American interventions abroad.

Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) spoke out first, posting on social media that while he considered Trump’s ongoing attacks lawful and appropriate, he was drawing the line at wiping out Iran’s civilization.

“I do 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,” Moran said.

In his post on Tuesday morning, Trump suggested he would not only follow through on his threat to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure — things like bridges and power plants — but that he would utterly destroy the country unless it accommodates his demands. Never mind that Trump has previously pitched the war as an attempt to free the Iranian people from their oppressive government.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), one of the Senate’s more independent-minded Republicans, rejected one of the rationalizations for the threat — that it’s just a negotiating tactic.

“The President’s threat that ‘a whole civilization will die tonight’ cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran,” Murkowski wrote on X. “This type of rhetoric is an affront to the ideals our nation has sought to uphold and promote around the world for nearly 250 years. It undermines our long-standing role as a global beacon of freedom and directly endangers Americans both abroad and at home.”

Another lawmaker — Rep. Kevin Kiley, a California independent who recently left the Republican party but still aligns with it on most issues — flatly rejected Trump’s rhetoric.

“The United States does not destroy civilizations. Nor do we threaten to do so as some sort of negotiating tactic. We should all desire a future of freedom, security, and prosperity for the people of Iran,” Kiley wrote.

A small number of other Republicans, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie, have been outspoken in their opposition to the war and have backed Democratic efforts to pass a resolution to force Trump to abandon the conflict.

Democrats have demanded Speaker Johnson call the House back into session so lawmakers can vote on a new resolution disapproving of the Iran conflict. Only two Republicans voted for a previous resolution against the Iran war, while four Democrats voted against it. One of those, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), said Tuesday he’d switched his position.

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