US Senator Bernie Sanders has appealed to Congress to end the Middle East war immediately, after President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy “a whole civilisation” in Iran.

In a post on X, Sanders notes that it is “very easy to become accustomed to Trump’s ravings, and laugh them off”, warning that it is a “dangerous thing to do”.

“When Trump states ‘a whole civilisation will die tonight’, he is threatening to commit genocide,” Sanders warns. “We can’t allow that to happen. Congress must end this war now.”