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Iran issues ‘human chains’ call for athletes, artists to protect power plants as Trump's deadline nears
Iran remains defiant despite Trump's threats on its power plants and the vow to have the Islamic Republic sent back to “Stone Ages".
With less than 24 hours remaining in US President Donald Trump's big deadline to Iran on arriving on a deal and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, all eyes now lie on how the ongoing war will progress.
Iran remains defiant despite Trump's threats on its power plants and the vow to have the Islamic Republic sent back to “Stone Ages". Follow live updates on the US-Iran war.
Reacting to the US President's latest threats, Iran's deputy sports minister has reportedly called on artists and athletes to form “human chains” at the power plants. "We will stand hand in hand to say: Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime," Alireza Rahimi said on X, according to a Reuters report.
The Iranian minister's call came after Trump warned that all power plants in Iran will be “burning, exploding and never to be used again" if Iran fails to arrive at a deal by Tuesday night.
Iran rejects ‘rude, baseless’ Trump threats
According to a Press TV report, Iran has dismissed Trump's threats as “baseless” and has called the US President “delusional”. In a video statement, the spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, reportedly said that the US warnings would have no impact on the continuation of Iran's “crushing” operations.
"The rude, arrogant, and baseless threats of the delusional US president, which stem from being trapped in a dead end and from attempts to justify the consecutive defeats of the US military, will have no effect on the continuation of the crushing offensive operations of the fighters of Islam against American and Zionist enemies," he said, as quoted by state-run Press TV.
Donald Trump has expanded his threat against Iran to include all power plants and bridges and announced an 8pm ET (5:30 am IST) deadline for Tehran on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump said, suggesting that the self-imposed deadline will see no more extensions.
Iran's counter proposal amid war
As Iran rejected Trump's ceasefire proposal and dismissed the fresh threats, the country issued its own 10-point proposal stating terms to end the fighting. “We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, told Associated Press.
This counter proposal seeks immediate ceasefire with eventual talks for a broader peace deal to be finalised within 15 to 20 days, Reuters reported. Among the most notable demands by Iran is the right to enrich uranium under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Other terms include removal of sanctions imposed by the US, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
