Oregon lawmakers condemn Trump’s ‘apocalyptic words’ on Iran, call for Congress to step in

Lawmakers in Oregon and beyond are calling for action after President Donald Trump threatened that “a whole civilization will die” if his demands in Iran are not met by Tuesday evening.

Trump said Iran must meet his latest deadline to strike a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while the Islamic Republic urged young people to form human chains around power plants and other potential targets.

Related: Trump warns a 'whole civilization will die tonight' if a deal with Iran isn't reached

U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Portland, and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley held a press briefing in Portland Tuesday afternoon — hours before Trump’s self-imposed deadline for a deal with Iran.

Appearing alongside U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, the lawmakers had three demands: that Trump back off his promised escalation, that Republicans urge him to reverse course, and that Congress reconvene to vote on the War Powers Resolution.

“These are apocalyptic words about attacking the civilian infrastructure and the civilians of another nation,” Merkley said. “It is 1000% out of sync with the principles of our nation and international principles.”

He said protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure from war is a tradition cemented in U.S. history

Dexter said she’d been speaking with Republicans all day, urging them to tell the White House they could not support an attack on civilian infrastructure.

“When we call it, he doesn’t listen,” Dexter said. “But if his party and his donors call for it,” that might convince the president not to escalate his attacks.

She said she recognized this may be challenging for many in the GOP.

“If you talk to Donald Trump and take an alternative perspective to his, he shuts you out,” she said. ”He stops talking to you. But if a preponderance, a critical mass, is saying the same thing, we know there’s safety in numbers.”

Booker, who said he was in Portland as part of a global book tour, joined Merkley and Dexter at the press conference.

“Americans cannot be silent while a president has usurped the Constitution,” Booker said. “How can we be silent at a moment like this when he is threatening societal elimination?”

Booker said Democrats in the Senate, the people of America, and Republicans in Congress need to stand up and “ultimately the power of the people will prevail.”

“War is evil,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a necessary evil, but it’s always an evil. This one is an unconstitutional evil. The only thing necessary for it to continue is for good people to do something.”

All three lawmakers acknowledged Tuesday that meaningful Congressional intervention was unlikely, with just hours to go before Trump’s 5 p.m. deadline. But they insisted there were ways for the president to back off his stated plans without losing face.

Merkley said that the secrecy surrounding any negotiations the Trump administration has had with Iran would provide cover.

“Nobody knows exactly where Trump’s deal is,” he said. “He has plenty of room to say the plan that was put forward wasn’t acceptable, but it’s got modifications that make it acceptable now.”

On Tuesday morning, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden called Trump “deranged” in a social media post.

“He must be impeached and removed from office,” Wyden said. “Republicans who don’t stop him will have blood on their hands, and anyone who carries out an order to bomb civilian targets will be complicit in war crimes and will be held accountable.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story will be updated.