For weeks, President Trump has threatened to escalate his war with Iran to terrifying new extremes in an effort to pressure the Iranian regime to capitulate to his demands, despite no evidence that such pressure is or can be effective. His latest deadline, after multiple delays, is tonight at 8 p.m. ET: he’s vowed to attack Iran’s critical infrastructure, including power plants, bridges, and other civilian infrastructure, unless the regime reopens the Strait of Hormuz and agrees to some kind of deal meeting his other demands. The regime has repeatedly vowed to respond in kind, attacking vital infrastructure throughout the Middle East. This morning, Trump declared that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” Here’s the latest reporting, analysis, and commentary as the Iran war reaches what may be a terrifying new phase.

AOC says Trump’s Truth Social post ‘merits removal from office’

This is a threat of genocide and merits removal from office. The President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted.To every individual in the President’s chain of command: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders. That includes carrying out this threat. https://t.co/mTUddja5og— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 7, 2026

This is a threat of genocide and merits removal from office. The President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted.To every individual in the President’s chain of command: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders. That includes carrying out this threat. https://t.co/mTUddja5og

Democratic House leadership demands Congress return to stop Iran war

In a joint statement, Democratic House leadership called on Congress to reconvene in order to stop the Trump administration’s war in Iran, calling the president “completely unhinged.”

“The House must come back into session immediately and vote to end this reckless war of choice in the Middle East before Donald Trump plunges our country into World War III,” the statement read.

The leaders, who include House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar among others, urged their colleagues across the aisle to join them. “It’s time for House Republicans to put patriotic duty over party loyalty and join Democrats in stopping this madness,” they said.

Canadian PM Carney weighs in

During a press conference Tuesday, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney was asked for his message to Trump following the president’s overt threat to Iran earlier that morning.

“Canada expects all parties in this conflict, in any conflict to respect international laws, the rules of engagement and that means not targeting, certainly, civilians or civilian infrastructure and we urge all parties in this war to follow those responsibilities. It’s a point we’ve made publicly and privately,” he said.

25th Amendment move against Trump not a viable option

It’s understandable that congressional Democrats and some independent observers are talking about invoking the 25th Amendment to quickly remove the president from power in light of his deranged threats towards Iran. No president has ever expressed himself so profanely, so violently, or so recklessly at a grave moment in national and international affairs. To put it another way, if Trump indeed lost his faculties or tipped into rage-filled dementia, could he possibly sound any more alarming that he has in the last 48 hours?

To be clear, however, invoking the 25th Amendment to temporarily sideline Trump is not really a viable option unless the president all but literally falls down in the Oval Office and begins foaming at the mouth. It can only be triggered when the vice president and a majority of the presidential Cabinet tell the leaders of Congress that POTUS has become “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” But the president can challenge this attempted interruption of his powers by telling the leaders of Congress that he is in fact not incapacitated, and then he can only be pushed aside if the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet insist he’s incapacitated. And that point unless by a two-thirds vote in both Houses of Congress the challenge to the president’s authority is upheld, he will continue in office, presumably firing the rebellious Cabinet members and denouncing his traitorous vice president.

So J.D. Vance, who owes absolutely everything to Trump’s decision to elevate him to the vice presidency, would have to orchestrate a rebellion involving over half of Trump’s hand-picked Cabinet, and secure a super-majority vote in both Houses of the Republican-controlled Congress (a higher threshold than impeachment, which only requires a majority vote in the House) to confirm the coup. Even if all these Trump loyalists really did believe The Boss had taken leave of his senses, the more feasible angle would be to surround him with both military and political leaders and talk him out of whatever madness he was planning. There’s a reason Trump’s enemies taunt him with the TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) insult. He’s more likely to change his mind than to admit he’s lost it.

‘Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not outright deny reports that Iranian officials had cut off diplomacy talks with the U.S. following Trump’s threats this morning. “The Iranian regime has until 8 p.m. Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States. Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do,” she said, per The Hill.

Progress has been made in the past 24 hours in the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, though reaching a ceasefire deal by President Trump’s 8pm ET deadline still looks like a long shot, according to a U.S. official, an Israeli official and two other sources with knowledge of the talks. A U.S. official said the thinking in the White House has shifted from “can we get there?” to “can we get there by 8 o’clock tonight?”

Progress has been made in the past 24 hours in the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, though reaching a ceasefire deal by President Trump’s 8pm ET deadline still looks like a long shot, according to a U.S. official, an Israeli official and two other sources with knowledge of the talks.

A U.S. official said the thinking in the White House has shifted from “can we get there?” to “can we get there by 8 o’clock tonight?”

And what is that supposed progress?

“The last proposal we got wasn’t really what we wanted, but it was a lot better than we expected,” the U.S. official said. The mediators then worked with the Iranians on amendments and redrafting, a source familiar with that process said. Zoom in: The main option under discussion is a set of confidence-building measures by both Iran and the U.S. focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and in exchange for guarantees on ending the war.A 45-day ceasefire to allow negotiations on a broader deal is also being discussed.”Everything is wrapped together. There is definitely ceasefire talk,” a U.S. official said. On Tuesday morning, before he published his threatening post, Trump told his close confidants that negotiations with the Iranians were “very serious” but he didn’t know if a deal could be reached.” The mediators are pushing very hard. Talks are serious. We will wait for the Iranian decision,” one source with knowledge said.According to another source, there has been renewed discussion about a possible in-person meeting between a U.S. delegation led by Vance and an Iranian delegation.

“The last proposal we got wasn’t really what we wanted, but it was a lot better than we expected,” the U.S. official said. The mediators then worked with the Iranians on amendments and redrafting, a source familiar with that process said. Zoom in: The main option under discussion is a set of confidence-building measures by both Iran and the U.S. focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and in exchange for guarantees on ending the war.

A 45-day ceasefire to allow negotiations on a broader deal is also being discussed.”Everything is wrapped together. There is definitely ceasefire talk,” a U.S. official said. On Tuesday morning, before he published his threatening post, Trump told his close confidants that negotiations with the Iranians were “very serious” but he didn’t know if a deal could be reached.” The mediators are pushing very hard. Talks are serious. We will wait for the Iranian decision,” one source with knowledge said.

According to another source, there has been renewed discussion about a possible in-person meeting between a U.S. delegation led by Vance and an Iranian delegation.

Khanna, McBride join push for 25th Amendment

The list of congressional members calling for Trump to be removed via the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution continued to grow Tuesday.

Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California shared a video to social media saying that every member of Congress should be calling for Trump’s removal after his comments this morning:

We need to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump. Threatening war crimes is a blatant violation of our constitution and the Geneva Conventions. pic.twitter.com/31F3BkA9kR— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 7, 2026

We need to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump. Threatening war crimes is a blatant violation of our constitution and the Geneva Conventions. pic.twitter.com/31F3BkA9kR

Sarah McBride, a Democratic congresswoman from Delaware, denounced Trump’s remarks as a “horrifying, illegal, and genocidal threat.”

“Trump must go — and Republicans, whether in the Cabinet or Congress, must join Democrats in using any and all constitutional powers at our collective disposal to end this illegal war and take the gun out of this madman’s hands,” she said in a statement.

Other Democratic members who have called for Trump’s removal through impeachment or the 25th include Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado,  Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Representative Maxwell Frost of Florida, Representative Yasmin Ansari of Arizona, Representative Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, Representative Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Representative Delia Ramirez of Illinois, Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California, Representative Shri Thanedar of Michigan, Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Representative Julie Johnson of Texas, Representative Johnny Olszewski of Maryland and Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts.

An actual madman or not (again) (for now)?

Middle East WhatsApp right now literally just hundreds of millions of people asking each other "will he do it?" when there's a decent chance that he himself still doesn't know the answer— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) April 7, 2026

Middle East WhatsApp right now literally just hundreds of millions of people asking each other "will he do it?" when there's a decent chance that he himself still doesn't know the answer

Some far-right alarm bells

As Trump continues to threaten severe military action against Iran, members of the fringe far-right media ecosystem have been vocally turning against the president on the issue.

Podcaster Candace Owens responded to Trump’s TruthSocial post where he stated Iran’s civilization will “die tonight,” writing, “The 25th amendment needs to be invoked. He is a genocidal lunatic. Our Congress and military need to intervene. We are beyond madness.”

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones said of Trump’s threat, “The definition of genocide is destroying an entire civilization/people! Trump literally sounds like an unhinged super villain from a Marvel comic movie. This IS NOT WHAT WE VOTED FOR!!!”

In a clip from his podcasts shared by Democratic rapid-response accounts, Jones went even further. “How do we 25th Amendment his ass?,” he asked his guest.

Over the weekend, former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson said that members of the military and Trump’s administration need to stand up to the president if he decides to use a “weapon of mass destruction” against the people of Iran. “Those people who are in direct contact with the president need to say, ‘No, I’ll resign. I’ll do whatever I can do legally to stop this because this is insane, and if given the order, I’m not carrying it out.’ Figure out the codes on the football yourself because everything hangs in the balance right now. This is not hysteria, this is 100 percent real,” Carlson said.

INSS analyst Danny Citrinowicz warns that a fundamental question about the war, let alone Trump’s pressure tactics, remains unanswered:

As we approach a potential escalation, and with deadlines and ultimatums looming, it’s worth returning to a basic question that should have been asked from the outset: what is the objective of this war? From Israel’s perspective, the logic is relatively clear: degrade Iran’s military and economic capacity to the point where it no longer poses a strategic threat. That explains the push for broader and more sustained strikes. But from Washington’s standpoint, the endgame is far less defined. Regime change appears unrealistic. Strikes on civilian infrastructure are unlikely to produce political transformation and may well have the opposite effect by consolidating internal support for the regime. At the same time, there is little indication that Tehran, despite severe economic damage, would capitulate: not on enriched material, not on its regional posture, and certainly not on the strategic leverage it holds over the Strait of Hormuz. Yes, U.S. strikes could inflict unprecedented economic harm and complicate Iran’s recovery for years. But economic pressure alone is unlikely to stop missile attacks. If anything, it could exacerbate instability, including triggering large-scale displacement that would primarily affect Gulf states. This raises a critical concern: targeting infrastructure may be tactically impactful, but strategically inconclusive, and potentially globally destabilizing, especially for energy markets. Before making decisions that could dramatically expand the conflict, the U.S. administration, despite its overwhelming military superiority, needs to answer a simple question: To what end?

As we approach a potential escalation, and with deadlines and ultimatums looming, it’s worth returning to a basic question that should have been asked from the outset: what is the objective of this war? 

From Israel’s perspective, the logic is relatively clear: degrade Iran’s military and economic capacity to the point where it no longer poses a strategic threat. That explains the push for broader and more sustained strikes. 

But from Washington’s standpoint, the endgame is far less defined. Regime change appears unrealistic. Strikes on civilian infrastructure are unlikely to produce political transformation and may well have the opposite effect by consolidating internal support for the regime. At the same time, there is little indication that Tehran, despite severe economic damage, would capitulate: not on enriched material, not on its regional posture, and certainly not on the strategic leverage it holds over the Strait of Hormuz. 

Yes, U.S. strikes could inflict unprecedented economic harm and complicate Iran’s recovery for years. But economic pressure alone is unlikely to stop missile attacks. If anything, it could exacerbate instability, including triggering large-scale displacement that would primarily affect Gulf states. 

This raises a critical concern: targeting infrastructure may be tactically impactful, but strategically inconclusive, and potentially globally destabilizing, especially for energy markets. Before making decisions that could dramatically expand the conflict, the U.S. administration, despite its overwhelming military superiority, needs to answer a simple question: To what end?

Vance on Iran: I hope they make the right response

During a joint event with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán in Hungary Tuesday morning, Vice-President J.D. Vance said that the Iran war will be concluding soon because “fundamentally, the military objectives of the United States have been completed.”

“We feel confident that we can get a response, whether it’s positive or negative, we’re going to get a response from the Iranians by 8 o’clock tonight. I hope they make the right response because what we really want is we want a world where oil and gas is flowing freely, where people could afford to heat their homes or cool their homes, where people could afford to transport themselves to work,” he said. “That’s not gonna happen if the Iranians are engaged in acts of economic terrorism.”

Vance continued, “They’ve got to know, we’ve got tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use. The president of the United States can decide to use them, and he will decide to use them if the Iranians don’t change their course of conduct.”

Iran reportedly says it’s cut off direct talks with U.S.

The Wall Street Journal reports that back-channel negotiations continue, but it’s not clear whether there’s any real progress (or room for progress) at this point:

Iran has cut off direct communications with the U.S. over President Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization” Monday morning, though talks with cease-fire mediators continue, Middle Eastern officials said. The move has temporarily complicated efforts to make a deal by Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline Tuesday but hasn’t ended the talks, the officials said.One of the officials said Iran intended to send a signal of disapproval and defiance by severing communications. It is unclear if direct talks will resume before the deadline.

Iran has cut off direct communications with the U.S. over President Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization” Monday morning, though talks with cease-fire mediators continue, Middle Eastern officials said. The move has temporarily complicated efforts to make a deal by Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline Tuesday but hasn’t ended the talks, the officials said.

One of the officials said Iran intended to send a signal of disapproval and defiance by severing communications. It is unclear if direct talks will resume before the deadline.

‘Civilizations don’t die with bombs’

Writes longtime Iran expert Vali Nasr in response to Trump’s morning post:

The threat is grotesque to the say the least. But civilizations don’t die with bombs and Iran’s civilization has endured and survived larger challenges than this through the millennia. It will survive and outlast Trump.

The threat is grotesque to the say the least. But civilizations don’t die with bombs and Iran’s civilization has endured and survived larger challenges than this through the millennia. It will survive and outlast Trump.

Some Iranians are forming human chains at infrastructure sites

According to state media:

Iran 🇮🇷 is deploying civilian human shields to sites across the country, including the White Bridge in Ahvaz, the Old Bridge in Dezful, the Bistoon power plant in Khermanshah, and the Rajaee power plant in Qazvin pic.twitter.com/GKJ1q2Vr0M— Aleph א (@no_itsmyturn) April 7, 2026

Iran 🇮🇷 is deploying civilian human shields to sites across the country, including the White Bridge in Ahvaz, the Old Bridge in Dezful, the Bistoon power plant in Khermanshah, and the Rajaee power plant in Qazvin pic.twitter.com/GKJ1q2Vr0M

Jeffries thinks new War Powers resolution could pass

The New York Times reports that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that Democrats will force a vote on another War Powers resolution and that this message could successfully pull enough Republicans to pass.

“We only need one or two additional Republicans, and I think we’re on track to securing that,” he said.

Fox: Trump is sticking to 8 p.m. ultimatum

Fox News’s Bret Brier relayed a recent call with Trump on his show, saying that the president isn’t moving from his public 8 p.m. deadline for Iran to re-open the Strait of Hormuz or face a devastating military attack after he asked him for the odds of a deal emerging.

“He said he wasn’t going to put odds on it. But he said, ‘8 p.m. is happening.’ That’s what he said. He said, ‘If we get to that point, there is going to be an attack like they have not seen,’’’ Brier said.

The anchor said Trump acknowledged that things could change if negotiations with Iran progressed, but that the United States is otherwise moving forward with its plans.

Calls to invoke the 25th Amendment grow amid Trump’s erratic Iran posts

Trump’s alarming social-media posts threatening the widespread destruction of Iran have prompted calls for the invocation of the 25th Amendment, the constitutional removal of the president’s powers if the Cabinet deems him unable to serve in the role. Though use of the 25th has been floated before, largely by Democrats, some Republicans are adding their voices to the chorus

Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan shared Trump’s Tuesday morning Truth Social post that stated that a “whole civilization will die tonight,” writing that the president is threatening genocide:

After bombing a school and massacring young girls, the war criminal in the White House is threatening genocide.It's time to invoke the 25th Amendment. This maniac should be removed from office. pic.twitter.com/Mm7iC3xqdP— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) April 7, 2026

After bombing a school and massacring young girls, the war criminal in the White House is threatening genocide.It's time to invoke the 25th Amendment. This maniac should be removed from office. pic.twitter.com/Mm7iC3xqdP

Tlaib’s words were echoed by an unlikely source: former Republican Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a one-time Trump supporter who has publicly distanced herself from the administration:

25TH AMENDMENT!!!Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness. pic.twitter.com/2mdogDRZN4— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) April 7, 2026

25TH AMENDMENT!!!Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness. pic.twitter.com/2mdogDRZN4

Democratic Representative Mark Pocan of Wisconsin also called for Trump to be stripped of his presidential powers Tuesday. “25th Amendment RIGHT NOW! Trump is too unhinged, dangerous, and deranged to have the nuclear codes!,” he said.

Chatter about invoking the 25th Amendment grew over the weekend as Trump threatened to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure in a profanity-laden post shared Sunday. Chris Murphy, a Democratic Connecticut senator who has long opposed Trump’s actions in Iran, wrote Sunday, “If I were in Trump’s Cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment. This is completely, utterly unhinged. He’s already killed thousands. He’s going to kill thousands more.”

Ilhan Omar, a Democratic congresswoman of Minnesota, also shared the Easter Sunday missive from the president, writing, “This is not ok. Invoke the 25th amendment. Impeach. Remove. This unhinged lunatic must be removed from office.”

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