Tehran [Iran], April 7 : Amid escalating tensions and direct threats from the US to target civilian infrastructure, Iran's Deputy Sports Minister, Alireza Rahimi, has called on the nation's athletes and artists to form "human chains" around power plants, a symbolic and physical attempt to deter potential airstrikes following a series of specific ultimatums from US President Donald President Trump.
In a video message, he invited all youth, athletes, artists, students and faculty on Tuesday at 2 PM (local Iran time) to gather near power plants. "These are our wealth and belongings", he said in the message.
The call for human shields comes in response to President Trump's recent "8:00 PM deadline" (Washington time, Tuesday night) for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has warned that failure to comply will result in a simultaneous, massive bombing campaign aimed at "each and every one" of Iran's electric generating plants and bridges.
Trump stated on Monday that the goal would be to leave these facilities "burning, exploding, and never to be used again" within a four-hour window.
During a White House press briefing, Trump said, "The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night."
Trump also gave an ultimatum to Iran to make a deal before Tuesday, 8:00 P.M ET, warning that there'll be "no bridges, no power plants" after that.
Trump said that this is a "critical period" and Washington has given Tehran the necessary time to make a deal to put this war to an end.
"This is a critical period... They asked for an extension of seven days; I gave them 10 days... They have till tomorrow. Now we will see what happens... A lot of people are affected by this. We are giving them until tomorrow, 8 o'clock, Eastern Time. After that, they are going to have no bridges. They are going to have no power plants. Stone ages," Trump said.
"Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime," Rahimi stated on social media. "We will stand hand in hand to say: civilian lives are not targets." Iranian officials at the United Nations have echoed this sentiment, arguing that the US threats constitute "incitement to terrorism" and a violation of international law regarding the protection of civilian life-support systems.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has also voiced "deep concern" after recent projectile strikes landed near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, emphasizing that energy infrastructure should never be a military target.
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