MAGA-aligned U.S. Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) is being criticized for defending President Donald Trump‘s threat to bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran if the country does not open the Strait of Hormuz. On Easter Sunday, Trump wrote on social media: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” and called the leaders of Iran “crazy.”
[NOTE: The announcement came less than a week after Trump said the U.S. was dealing with new leadership in Iran and that “Iran’s new regime president” is “much less radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors.”]
As seen below, when asked on Fox News, “Congressman, do you want to see the US start hitting, like the President said, civilian infrastructure in Iran?”, Issa replied, “Well, the answer is, of course, the President didn’t want to do it. He’d like to turn over to the Iranian people a country that can recover quickly with a change in the regime’s behavior or change of regime.”
DOOCY: Congressman, do you want to see the US start hitting civilian infrastructure like the president says?
ISSA: Of course, the president didn’t want to do it. He’ll do what he has to do. When you take away bridges, you take away the ability for them to transport future… pic.twitter.com/VO5CsoWK0L
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 5, 2026
Issa added of Trump: “At the end of the day, he’ll do what he has to do. That includes taking the oil away from them, taking away their ability to move equipment. And let’s be honest, when you take away bridges, you take away the ability for them to transport future weapon development, to run factories. So they’re not purely civilian targets.”
Trump’s threat was condemned by numerous observers as describing a “war crime,” with The New York Times headlining a story about Trump’s Easter morning social media rhetoric simply: “Trump Revels in Threats to Commit War Crimes in Iran.” Attacks on purely civilian infrastructure are outlawed in the Geneva Conventions and the United Nations Charter as well as other international agreements.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) characterized Trump’s threatening posts as “the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual.” Sanders called for Congress to act to rein in Trump’s aggression.
One month after starting the war in Iran, this is the statement of the President of the United States on Easter Sunday.
These are the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual. Congress has got to act NOW. End this war. pic.twitter.com/TTBArqTTyE
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 5, 2026
But as Issa’s unambiguous support showed, Congress is unlikely to stand in the President’s way. In addition to lawmakers, Democrat influencers took aim at Issa. The popular X account Sundae Gurl replied: “You also cut off access for emergency services, food, hospital access, people going to work, to shop for food. Definitely a war crime.” Art Candee, another account with 100K+ followers on X, also replied: “Republican Congressman advocating for war crimes. This tracks.”
Former spokesman for President Barack Obama, TJ Adams-Falconer, also chimed in: “What a load of horse [expletive]. Any infrastructure that *could* carry a *future* weapon is now fair game? What a vile warmonger.”
[NOTE: The Times article reported that, with his threats, Trump “is talking not just about civilian sites with military uses, which can be considered legitimate targets,” as Issa asserted. Going beyond that, Trump said he would “hit each and every one” of the country’s power plants, “probably simultaneously.”]