Iran urges youths to protect power plants and Saudi Arabia closes bridge as Trump’s deadline nears
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia closed the only road connecting it to Bahrain on Tuesday after Iran fired a missile into the oil-rich Eastern Province. Tehran’s latest attacks come as Iranian officials are urging young people to form human chains around power plants to protect themselves; US President Donald Trump also set the deadline. Iranian The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is approaching.
Trump threatens to bomb all Iranian power plants and bridges if Iran does not reach agreement Deadline Tuesday 20:00 EDT Allowing full resumption of shipping traffic through the strategic waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes in peacetime.
“The entire country could be destroyed overnight,” Trump said.
The Israeli military warned Iranians in Persian to avoid taking trains throughout the day, and likely telegraphed attacks on the rail network.
“Your presence puts your life at risk,” the warning posted on X read.
After Israel and the USA attacked and started the war on February 28, Iran stopped the passage of ships through the strait. On Monday, Tehran rejected 45-day ceasefire offer and said he wanted the war to end permanently.
Early Tuesday, Tehran launched seven ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia, which authorities said rained debris near energy facilities as they were intercepted. Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said the damage was being assessed.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said it would close the King Fahd Causeway, a bridge connecting Saudi Arabia to the island kingdom of Bahrain, due to the threat of further Iranian attacks targeting the Eastern Province.
The 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) bridge is Bahrain’s only road connection to the Arabian Peninsula, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Elsewhere, activists reported a new wave of attacks on Tehran, for which Israel later claimed responsibility. Iran also opened fire on Israel with the news that missiles had arrived.
Trump’s threats to bomb civilian infrastructure spark war crimes warnings
Iran’s attacks on the energy infrastructure of its Gulf Arab neighbors, combined with its pressure on the Strait of Hormuz, have led to skyrocketing oil prices and are causing global economic problems.
Brent crude, the international standard for early spot trading, has risen more than 50% since the start of the war to over $111 a barrel.
Under increasing pressure at home as consumers feel the pinch, Trump has demanded Iran open the door. Strait of Hormuz see all shipping traffic destroyed or power plants and bridges destroyed. The threat of hitting civilian infrastructure has led to widespread warnings about it. possible war crimes.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Tuesday urged Trump not to follow suit, saying the “focus should be on not seeing any further expansion of this conflict.”
“Any of these actions, including bombing bridges, reservoirs and civilian infrastructure, are unacceptable,” Luxon told Radio New Zealand.
Iran has tried to up the ante by calling on “all youth, athletes, artists, students, university students and their professors” to form a human chain around power plants ahead of threatened strikes.
“Power plants, which are our national asset and capital, belong to the future of Iran and the youth of Iran, regardless of taste or political opinion,” Alireza Rahimi, identified by Iranian state television as the secretary of the Supreme Council of Youth and Adolescents, said while broadcasting the video call on a news program. he said.
Iran has formed human chains around its nuclear facilities in the past, during periods of increased tension with the West.
His spokesman said UN Secretary-General António Guterres had warned the US that attacks on civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was “not at all concerned” about war crimes being committed through such attacks.
As the deadline approached, efforts to reach a negotiated solution were still ongoing. Although Iran rejected the US’s latest offer, officials involved in diplomacy say that negotiations are still continuing.
The death toll continues to rise in the region
More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, but the government has not updated the death toll for days.
More than 1,400 people was killed inside Lebanon and more than 1 million people displaced. 11 Israeli soldiers died there.
More than two dozen people died in the Gulf Arab countries and the occupied West Bank, while 23 people died in Israel and 13 people in the USA. service members was killed.
Japan said on Tuesday It was stated that a citizen who had been detained in Iran since January was released on bail. Japan has requested Iranian authorities to release him fully, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters in Tokyo.
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The rises were reported from Bangkok. Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Australia contributed to this report.
