Facing escalating threats from the US, Iran is mobilizing its citizens to form 'human chains' around power plants as a defensive measure against potential airstrikes, raising concerns about international law and civilian safety.
Key Points
- Iran's Deputy Sports Minister calls for citizens to form 'human chains' around power plants in response to US threats.
- The US President has threatened to bomb Iranian infrastructure if Iran does not comply with US demands regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iranian officials argue that US threats to target civilian infrastructure constitute 'incitement to terrorism' and a violation of international law.
- The head of the IAEA has voiced concern over strikes near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, emphasising that energy infrastructure should not be a military target.
- The call for human shields is a direct response to the US President's ultimatum regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Amid escalating tensions and direct threats from the United States 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.
"Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime. We will stand hand in hand to say: civilian lives are not targets," Rahimi stated,
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.
Trump's Deadly Deadline
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 on Monday, Trump threatened to decimate Iran within four hours if it did not agree to a deal by Tuesday night, while brushing aside allegations of possible war crimes in case of attacks on power plants and bridges.
"We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow (Tuesday) night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again, I mean complete demolition by 12 o'clock, and it'll happen over a period of four hours, if we wanted to," Trump told a press conference in Washington, DC.
IAEA Concerns Over Nuclear Infrastructure
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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