DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia closed its only road to Bahrain on Tuesday after Iran fired missiles into its oil-rich eastern province. Tehran’s latest attack comes as Iranian officials urge young people to form human chains around power plants to protect them and as the deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz draws closer.
Trump has threatened to bomb all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if the country fails to meet an 8 pm EDT deadline on Tuesday to allow full resumption of shipping traffic through the strategic waterway. In peacetime, one-fifth of the world’s oil is transported through this strategic waterway.
“An entire country could be wiped out overnight,” Trump said.
The Israeli military has warned Persian-speaking Iranians to avoid taking trains throughout the day in what could be a deliberate attack on the rail network.
A warning posted on X reads: “Your presence puts your life at risk.”
Iran cut off shipping through the strait after war broke out on February 28 following attacks by Israel and the United States. On Monday, Tehran rejected an offer for a 45-day ceasefire and said it wanted a permanent end to the war.
Earlier on Tuesday, Tehran fired seven ballistic missiles towards Saudi Arabia, which authorities said were intercepted and caused debris to fall on the ground near energy facilities. Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Malki said the damage was being assessed.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said it would close the King Fahd Causeway, which connects the kingdom to the island nation of Bahrain, amid threats from Iran to launch more attacks in its eastern province.
The 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) bridge is the only road connection between Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, and the Arabian Peninsula.
Elsewhere, activists reported a new wave of attacks in Tehran, for which Israel later claimed responsibility. Iran also fired at Israel, with reports of incoming missiles.
Trump threatens to bomb civilian infrastructure sparks war crimes warning
Iran’s attacks on the energy infrastructure of its Gulf Arab neighbors, combined with its control of the Strait of Hormuz, have sent oil prices soaring and stoked global economic problems.
In early spot trading, Brent crude, the international standard, was trading above $111 a barrel, having risen more than 50% since the war began.
With consumers feeling the pinch and pressure mounting at home, Trump has demanded that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping or have its power plants and bridges destroyed. The threat of attacks on civilian infrastructure has prompted widespread warnings of possible war crimes.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urged Trump on Tuesday not to follow suit, saying “the focus needs to be on not seeing the conflict escalate further.”
“Any of these actions, including bombing bridges, reservoirs and civilian infrastructure, are unacceptable,” Luxon told Radio New Zealand.
Iran tried to up the ante, calling on “all young people, athletes, artists, students, university students and their professors” to form a human chain around the power plant before threatening an attack.
“The power plant is our national asset and capital and belongs to Iran’s future and Iranian youth, regardless of taste or political opinion,” Alireza Rahimi, secretary of the Supreme Council of Youth and Adolescents, confirmed by Iran’s state television, said in a video call during a news broadcast.
In the past, Iran has formed human chains around its nuclear facilities amid tensions with the West.
A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he warned the United States that attacks on civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was “not at all” concerned about whether such attacks constituted war crimes.
As the deadline approaches, efforts are still underway to negotiate a solution. Although Iran rejected the latest U.S. overtures, officials involved in diplomacy said negotiations were ongoing.
Death toll continues to rise in region
More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, but the government has not updated the death toll in days.
More than 1,400 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 1 million have been displaced. 11 Israeli soldiers died there.
More than two dozen people have died in the Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, with 23 reported dead in Israel and 13 US service members killed.
Japan said on Tuesday that a Japanese citizen detained in Iran since January had been released on bail. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters in Tokyo that Japan demanded his full release from the Iranian authorities.
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Rising reports from Bangkok. Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Australia, contributed to this report.
