Iran calls for ‘human chains’ around its power plants as Trump’s deadline nears
A woman walks past mockups of Iranian missiles along Valiasr Square in Tehran.
Photo: AFP Air strikes across Iran killed at least 15 people on Tuesday, while Iran fired on Israel and Saudi Arabia, prompting the temporary closure of a major bridge.
The attacks came as Iranian officials urged youths to form human chains around power plants to protect them, as the latest deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz drew closer.
Trump has threatened to bomb all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Iran does not meet his Tuesday 8pm EDT deadline (8am Wednesday Hong Kong time) to allow shipping traffic to fully resume through the strategic waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits in peacetime. “The entire country can be taken out in one night,” Trump said.
US President Donald Trump mimics aiming a sniper rifle while speaking with reporters at the White House on Monday.
Photo: AP Israel’s military warned Iranians in Farsi to avoid taking trains throughout the day, likely telegraphing intended strikes on the rail network. “Your presence puts your life at risk,” the warning posted on X read.
France joined a growing chorus of international voices calling for restraint, with Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot saying attacks targeting civilian and energy infrastructure “are barred by the rules of war, international law”. “They would without doubt trigger a new phase of escalation, of reprisals, that would drag the region and the world economy into a vicious circle that would be very worrying and, most of all, very damaging to our own interests,” the minister said on France Info television.
Iran choked off shipping through the strait after Israel and the US attacked on February 28, starting the war.
On Monday, Tehran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war.
Early Tuesday, Tehran launched seven ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia, which authorities said rained debris on the ground near energy facilities as they were intercepted.
Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said the damage was being assessed.
An Iranian flag hangs amid the rubble of a building of the Sharif University of Technology, which was damaged in a strike.
Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters The attacks prompted Saudi Arabia to close the King Fahd Causeway, a bridge that links Saudi Arabia to the island kingdom of Bahrain for several hours.
The 25km bridge is the only conne
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