Thousands of Iranian civilians formed human chains this Tuesday in front of power plants and bridges in various cities across the country, in a campaign organized by the regime to protect these facilities against threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to bomb them if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The mobilization responds to Trump's ultimatum, who set 8:00 PM on Tuesday in Washington as the deadline for Iran to reopen the strait, under the threat of direct attacks on power plants and bridges.
The president even posted on Truth Social that an entire civilization could die tonight if the ultimatum expired without a response from Iran.
The campaign was officially called by the Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Sports, Alireza Rahimi, under the name Human Chain for a Bright Future for Iranian Youth.
Rahimi called on young people, artists, athletes, and students to participate in order to "stage a symbol of unity and resistance against the enemy" and declared that "the youth of Iran, regardless of ideology or preference, will come together to tell the world that attacking public infrastructure is a war crime."
In Tehran, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Damavand power plant, the largest in the country, carrying Iranian flags, according to images broadcast by Iranian state television.
In Kermanshah, protesters gathered in front of the Bisotun power plant holding photographs of the deceased supreme leader Ali Khamenei and his successor and son Mojtaba Khamenei, denouncing that attacking electrical infrastructure constitutes a war crime.
Human chains were also formed in front of the Tabriz thermal power plant, the Shahid Rajaei plant in Qazvin, and the combined cycle plant in Kazerun, in Fars province.
In Dezful, in the southwest of the country, students formed a human chain across the historic bridge of the city, which is over 1,700 years old.
Figures of Iranian culture, including the musician Ali Gamsari and the singer Benyamin Bahadori, began to settle in the vicinity of power plants and bridges starting Monday.
The analyst Ariel Oseran described the tactic accurately: "The Iranian regime has deployed its supporters to form human chains and human shields in front of key infrastructure facilities throughout Iran to prevent bombing."
The crisis is a direct consequence of Operation Epic Fury, a joint military offensive by the United States and Israel, which in its initial attack killed the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In response, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz using mines, drones, and missiles, blocking the passage through which 20% of the world's oil flows and driving the price of Brent crude above 115 dollars per barrel.
Trump has issued four ultimatums to Iran since March 21, escalating his rhetoric to threaten the destruction of "every bridge" and "every power plant" in the country.
Last Sunday, he published: "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day, all in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!"
This Monday, Iran rejected a 45-day ceasefire plan proposed by Washington and sent a 10-point counterproposal via Pakistan, demanding a permanent end to hostilities and the lifting of sanctions, while the clock on the ultimatum continued to tick.
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