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.

Trump warns a 'whole civilization will die tonight' if a deal with Iran isn't reachedhttps://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/07/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, calling on Congress to reconvene and vote on the War Powers Resolution. U.S. Sen. Corey Booker, D-New Jersey, joined them at the event.

“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 Republicans should call on Trump to stand down.

“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 Republicans.

“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.”

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

Donald Trump is deranged. He must be impeached and removed from office. 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. https://t.co/NOQBITXNCE

— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) April 7, 2026

“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.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/07/iran-trump-oregon-lawmakers-condemn-call-congress/