A large group of people gathered around key power plants in Iran on Tuesday, forming human chains in a show of defiance after threats by US President Donald Trump to target the country's critical infrastructure ahead of Tuesday's deadline.
Iranian state media outlet IRIB shared photos on X handle which showed crowds assembling near what was described as one of Iran's largest power plants outside Tehran, while similar scenes were reported from the northwestern city of Tabriz.
In both locations, residents were seen standing hand-in-hand around energy facilities, in what officials described as an effort to protect national infrastructure.
The people of Tabriz, in northwestern Iran and one of the cities that has endured the most bombing by the US and Israel, have formed a human chain around power plants. https://t.co/CHwvCa2uCN pic.twitter.com/e1zeZkMsWQ
— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) April 7, 2026
The reports come as tensions rise over Trump's warning that Iran could face attacks on bridges and power plants unless it reopened the Strait of Hormuz.
The mobilization followed a social media appeal by Iran's Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Alireza Rahimi, who called on young people, athletes, artists and students to join what he described as the “Iranian Youth's Human Chain for a Bright Tomorrow.”
Rahimi urged Iranians to gather at power plants at 2 pm local time and stand “shoulder to shoulder” to reject attacks on public infrastructure as a war crime. The call was made after Trump threatened to bomb Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian show of solidarity came amid an escalating exchange between Washington and Tehran.
Trump used an Easter Sunday Truth Social post to threaten Iranian power plants and bridges, saying, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day,” if Iran did not comply. In a follow-up post, he set a deadline of 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday.
ALSO READ: Iran War To Escalate Amid Trump's Threat? Tehran Warns Of Oil and Gas Disruption, Strong Retaliation
Additionally, Trump once again warned Iran to make a deal on Tuesday, saying a “whole civilization will die tonight” if an agreement is not reached to end the conflict. Writing on Truth Social, he said, "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will."
Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that attacks on US economic interests in the region would intensify if civilian targets in Iran were struck again.
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