Tension Rises As Iranians Flood Streets Over US Threat

Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets of Tehran, forming human chains around key infrastructure in a show of solidarity with their country following a stark warning from United States President Donald Trump.

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The demonstrations come after Trump warned that Iran could face devastating consequences amid rising tensions between the two countries.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”

Videos circulating online show large groups of residents gathering around bridges, power plants, and other strategic facilities across Tehran.

Participants reportedly linked hands to form human chains, saying they were attempting to protect infrastructure that could become targets in potential military strikes.

Reports indicate that U.S. military planners are considering bridges, power plants and other strategic facilities as possible targets if tensions escalate further.

Trump has previously said that American forces could strike Iranian infrastructure and push the country “back to the stone age”.

Trump also issued a deadline of midnight GMT Tuesday for Iran to end what he described as the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but strategically vital waterway used for transporting oil and other commodities.

The strait is one of the world’s most important energy routes, with a significant portion of global oil shipments passing through it daily.

However, Iran has rejected the ultimatum, with state media reporting that authorities are demanding a complete end to the conflict rather than a temporary ceasefire.

In a statement, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned that Tehran would respond forcefully if the United States crossed what it described as red lines.

“Self-restraint is over. Our response will now be carried out without any consideration, depriving the U.S. and its allies of oil and gas for years,” the statement said.

“If the U.S. Army crosses red lines, our response will exceed the region’s boundaries.”

Meanwhile, Pope Leo criticised threats directed at the Iranian population, describing them as unacceptable.

Speaking to reporters while leaving the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo near Rome, the American-born pontiff expressed concern over escalating rhetoric.

He called the threat against Iranian civilians “truly unacceptable.”

The Pope also urged people around the world to contact their political representatives and push for diplomatic solutions to the crisis.

Amid the growing tensions, Pakistan has stepped forward with a diplomatic proposal aimed at preventing a wider conflict.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said diplomatic efforts were “progressing steadily.”

He urged Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks and called on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

According to reports, both the United States and Iran have acknowledged receiving the proposal.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran is positively reviewing the proposal, though no final decision has been announced.

Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt also confirmed that the U.S. president had been informed.

“He has been made aware of the proposal, and a response will come,” she told Axios.