Iran calls on youth to form human chains around power plants as Trump’s deadline looms

TEHRAN, IRAN: Iranian authorities are turning to an unusual and dramatic tactic as tensions with President Donald Trump reach a boiling point, urging young citizens to physically shield key infrastructure just hours before a looming US deadline.

In a video message circulated by state media on April 7, an Iranian official urged civilians to form human chains to protect critical infrastructure.

Iran urges civilians to form human chain

In the widely circulated video message, Alireza Rahimi, identified as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Youth and Adolescents, called on “all young people, athletes, artists, students, and university students, and their professors” to gather and form human chains around the country’s power plants. 

The appeal appeared aimed at deterring potential US strikes by placing civilians directly around critical sites.

The call to action comes amid rising fears that Iran’s energy infrastructure could be targeted.

By asking civilians to surround power plants, officials are effectively signaling both defiance and vulnerability, attempting to complicate any military decision-making by raising the risk of civilian casualties.

The urgency behind the move traces directly to a series of escalating warnings from Trump, who has set a de facto deadline tied to Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump repeats threats

In a fiery social media post, Trump made his intentions unmistakably clear: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!”

He followed that with an explicit demand: “Open the Strait, you crazy people, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”

The message tied Iran’s control of a crucial global oil route to the threat of direct strikes on infrastructure, dramatically raising the stakes.

Trump has not dialed back his tone since.

Speaking a day earlier, he warned that Iran “could be taken out in one night,” adding that such a scenario “might be tomorrow night,” further fueling speculation about imminent action.

By Tuesday morning, the rhetoric escalated even further.

In a stark and ominous post, he wrote: “A whole civilization will die tonight.”

The language, unusually sweeping even by Trump’s standards, has amplified fears of a major escalation, while leaving unclear exactly what actions, if any, would follow.

As the deadline approaches, both sides appear locked into a high-stakes standoff - one where messaging and real-world consequences are increasingly colliding.