Dubai, Apr 07: Saudi Arabia closed the only road linking it to Bahrain on Tuesday after Iran fired missiles at its oil-rich Eastern Province. Tehran’s latest strikes came as Iranian officials urged youths to form human chains around power plants to protect them, as the latest deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz drew closer.

Trump has threatened to bomb all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Iran does not meet his Tuesday 8 pm EDT deadline to allow shipping traffic to fully resume through the strategic waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits in peacetime.

“The entire country can be taken out in one night,” Trump said.

Israel’s military warned Iranians in Farsi to avoid taking trains throughout the day, likely telegraphing intended strikes on the rail network.

“Your presence puts your life at risk,” the warning posted on X read.

Iran choked off shipping through the strait after Israel and the US attacked on Feb. 28, starting the war. On Monday, Tehran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war.

Early Tuesday, Tehran launched seven ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia, which authorities said rained debris on the ground near energy facilities as they were intercepted. Defence Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the damage was being assessed.

In the meantime, Saudi Arabia said it was closing the King Fahd Causeway, a bridge that links Saudi Arabia to the island kingdom of Bahrain, over the threat of more Iranian attacks targeting the Eastern Province.

The 25-kilometre (15.5-mile) bridge is the only connection by road for Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, to the Arabian Peninsula.

Elsewhere, activists reported a new wave of strikes on Tehran, for which Israel later claimed responsibility. Iran also fired on Israel, with reports of incoming missiles.

Trump’s threats to bomb civilian infrastructure prompt warnings of war crimes

Iran’s attacks on the energy infrastructure of its Gulf Arab neighbours, coupled with its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, have sent oil prices skyrocketing and are causing global economic problems.

In early spot trading, Brent crude, the international standard, was above $111 per barrel, up more than 50 per cent since the start of the war.

Under growing pressure at home as consumers feel the pinch, Trump has demanded that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping traffic or see power plants and bridges wiped out. The threat to hit civilian infrastructure has sparked widespread warnings about possible war crimes.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Tuesday urged Trump not to follow through, saying the “focus needs to be on not seeing this conflict expand any further.”

“Any of those actions, including bombing bridges and reservoirs and civilian infrastructure, would be unacceptable,” Luxon told Radio New Zealand.

Iran sought to up the ante, calling on “all young people, athletes, artists, students, university students and their professors” to form human chains around power plants ahead of the threatened strikes.

“Power plants that are our national assets and capital, regardless of any taste or political viewpoint, belong to the future of Iran and to the Iranian youth,” Alireza Rahimi, identified by Iranian state television as the secretary of the Supreme Council of Youth and Adolescents, said as he issued the video call in a newscast.

Iran has formed human chains in the past around its nuclear sites at times of heightened tensions with the West.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the US that attacks on civilian infrastructure are banned under international law, according to his spokesperson. Trump, speaking with reporters, said he’s “not at all” concerned about committing war crimes with such attacks.

As the deadline neared, efforts were still underway to reach a negotiated solution. Even though Iran has rejected the latest proposal from the US, officials involved in the diplomacy say that talks are still ongoing.

The death toll continues to rise across the region

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, but the government has not updated the toll for days.

More than 1,400 people have been killed in Lebanon, and more than 1 million people have been displaced. Eleven Israeli soldiers have died there.

In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 23 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 US service members have been killed.

Japan said Tuesday that one of its citizens who had been detained in Iran since January had been released on bail. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters in Tokyo that Japan is demanding his full release from Iranian authorities.

United Nations, Apr 07: UN chief Antonio Guterres is “alarmed” by the social media post from US President Donald Trump that threatened American attacks on power plants, bridges and other infrastructure should Iran not agree to open the Strait of Hormuz, his spokesperson has said.

“Yes. We were alarmed by the rhetoric seen in that social media post that threatened American attacks on power plants, bridges, and other infrastructure, should Iran not agree to a deal,” Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing here Monday.

Dujarric was responding to a question on the Secretary-General’s reaction to the threat issued by Trump in a post on Truth Social Sunday to blow up power plants, bridges, and other infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened up by Iran by Tuesday.

In a profanity-laden post, Trump had said “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it”, threatening that “you’ll be living in Hell.”

Dujarric said the Secretary-General has been very clear on issues regarding international law, and he urges yet again all parties to abide by their obligations regarding the conduct of these hostilities.

Guterres recalls that civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, may not be attacked; “even if specific civilian infrastructure were to qualify as a military objective, international humanitarian law would still prohibit attacks against them if they may be expected to cause excessive incidental civilian harm.

“Once again, the Secretary-General reaffirms that it’s high time for the parties to stop this conflict, as there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes,” Dujarric said.

When asked if the Secretary-General thought such attacks could constitute war crimes, Dujarric said they would constitute violations of international law, and “whether something is a crime or not a crime would have to be decided by a court, but any attack on civilian infrastructure is a violation of international law and a very clear one.”

Last week, in a clear message to the US, Israel and Iran, Guterres called for dialogue to end the West Asia conflict that has now entered its second month.

“My message is clear. To the United States and Israel, it is high time to stop the war that is inflicting immense human suffering and already triggering devastating economic consequences. To Iran, to stop attacking their neighbours,” Guterres had said.

As the West Asia conflict entered its second month, causing economic and humanitarian hardships in the region and beyond, Guterres had stressed dialogue and diplomacy to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

“Conflicts do not end on their own. They end when leaders choose dialogue over destruction. That choice still exists. And it must be made — now,” he said.

“We are on the edge of a wider war that would engulf the whole Middle East with dramatic impacts around the globe,” the UN chief had said.

The Strait of Hormuz is a 55-kilometre-wide narrows between Iran and Oman, separating the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea.

It is a particularly important piece of global real estate in terms of the energy sector and one of the busiest and most strategically significant shipping routes in the world.

New Delhi, Apr 07: Donald Trump has threatened to “take out” Iran “in one night” if Tehran fails to reach a deal before his deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route, according to the BBC News.

The deadline for what Trump called an “acceptable” agreement, ensuring the free flow of energy through the Gulf, is set for 20:00 Washington DC time on Tuesday (5:30 AM in India on Wednesday, 8 April.)

Speaking at the White House, Trump said he believed “reasonable” leaders in Iran were negotiating in “good faith”, though he cautioned that the outcome remained uncertain. Iran has rejected proposals for a temporary ceasefire, instead demanding a permanent end to the conflict and lifting of sanctions.

At a joint news conference with Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump reiterated his warning that the US could strike Iran’s energy and transport infrastructure if the Strait is not reopened.

“The entire country can be taken out in one night – and that night might be tomorrow night,” he said, adding that Iran could be pushed back to the “Stone Ages” with the destruction of bridges and power plants.

His remarks came days after US forces recovered two crew members of a downed F-15 fighter jet in southern Iran, an operation described as “heroic”.

Despite Tehran’s resistance, Trump maintained that negotiations could still progress. However analysts feel that meaningful movement was unlikely without a ceasefire.

Efforts to mediate the crisis have involved Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt. Trump offered few details of Washington’s next steps, saying only that he has “the best plan” but would not reveal it publicly.

Legal experts have raised concerns that sustained attacks on civilian infrastructure could amount to war crimes. Earlier, Trump dismissed such concerns, saying he was not “worried” and suggesting Iranians would be “willing to suffer to have freedom”, even though he denied seeking regime change.

The US president also criticised allies including the UK, NATO and South Korea for not supporting Washington during the conflict. According to the US military’s Central Command, American forces have carried out more than 13,000 strikes across Iran since the war began.