An Iranian official has called on young people to form “human chains” around power plants across the country as a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is about to expire.
“I call on all youth, cultural and artistic figures, athletes and champions to take part in the national campaign ‘Human Chain for a Bright Future for Iranian Youth,’” Alireza Rahimi, deputy minister of Sports and Youth, said on X.
Rahimi said participants are expected to gather on Tuesday at 2 pm (1030 GMT) in front of power generation stations across the country.
“We will stand side by side … to say that attacking public infrastructure is a war crime,” he added.
The call came after Trump threatened to bomb power stations and bridges across Iran if Tehran failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reach an agreement by Tuesday night at 8 pm EDT (0000GMT Wednesday).
Regional conflict has continued to escalate since Israel and the US launched an offensive against Iran on February 28, killing more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iranian authorities have not updated the toll in recent days.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
