'For a bright future': Iran calls on youth to form 'human chains' around power plants as Trump threatens destruction in 'four hours' | WATCH

As US President Donald Trump's latest ultimatum hangs over the country, Iran has taken an unusual step, asking young people to form 'human chains' around the nation's power plants to protect them from American strikes. In a video on Monday (Apr 6), Iran's Ministry of Sports and Youth urged students, athletes and artists to gather near critical power infrastructure at 2 PM Tuesday (Apr 7). Here's why.

'For a bright future'

In a call to action, Alireza Rahimi, the Iranian deputy of youth affairs, urged Iranian youth to gather at 2 pm on Tuesday near the nation's critical power infrastructure. The timing is hard to miss. Trump has set an 8 PM Eastern deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning of sweeping military strikes if Tehran doesn't comply.

Officials framed the mobilisation as something that came from the ground up. Rahimi said the idea originated with young Iranians themselves. "This action has been formed at the suggestion of the youth themselves. A number of university youth, young artists, and youth organisations proposed that we form a human ring or human chain around the country's power plants," he said.

Iran is calling the move "Human Chain of Iran's Youth for a Bright Future." The campaign, he said is intended to symbolise unity and resilience. "We hope that with the participation of young people across the country, this human chain will be formed around the power plants, and it will be a sign of the youth's commitment to protecting the country's infrastructure and building a bright future," said the Iranian minister.

Watch what he said here:

Trump's 'four hour' threat

The backdrop to all of this is Trump's increasingly explicit threats about what he's prepared to do. At a press conference on Monday, Trump revealed that the US military had war plans to demolish every bridge and knock out every power plant in Iran within a four-hour window. "Complete demolition by 12 o'clock," he said, adding that it would happen "if we wanted to."

"We have a plan -- because of the power of our military -- where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again," said the POTUS. He had previously threatened to obliterate Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub, along with desalination plants, sites he noted have "purposefully" not yet been touched.

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