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Iran calls on young people to form human chains around power plants as Trump deadline looms

Iranian officials have called on young people to form human chains around power plants as a US deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz approaches. The move comes amid threats of strikes on civilian infrastructure, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying over 14 million Iranians have volunteered to defend the country.

By Tertius News AI Desk 3 outlets · 3 articles Version 1 Coverage Apr 7, 2026 Published Aug 14

Lead

Iranian officials have urged young people to form human chains around the country’s power plants, as a US deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz approaches, with President Donald Trump threatening strikes on civilian infrastructure. The call, made by Alireza Rahimi, identified by Iranian state television as secretary of the Supreme Council of Youth and Adolescents, was broadcast on state media and asks Iranians to gather at 2 p.m. local time on Tuesday around power plants, which he described as “national assets” belonging to Iran’s future and its youth, according to reports from AP and The Guardian.

Coverage Comparison

Coverage of the story varied across outlets. Al Jazeera focused on a symbolic protest by Iranian musician Ali Ghamsari, who performed outside the Damavand power station, which supplies roughly half of Tehran’s electricity. The Guardian reported on the broader preparations in Iran, including people stocking up on provisions and gathering at power stations in Tehran, Tabriz, and a bridge in Dezful said to be 1,700 years old. The Jerusalem Post highlighted President Masoud Pezeshkian’s declaration that he was ready to sacrifice his life for Iran, alongside the call for human chains. TASS, the Russian state news agency, emphasized Rahimi’s framing of the protests as a message to the international community that strikes on civilian infrastructure are unacceptable and constitute a war crime.

Key Claims

US threat and deadline: According to multiple reports, President Trump has threatened to strike Iranian power plants, bridges, and vital facilities if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday evening. The Guardian quoted Trump as warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if the strait remains closed.

Human chains and protests: Iranian media showed people gathering outside electricity stations, waving flags and holding banners, including at the country’s largest power plant near Tehran and in Tabriz, as reported by The Guardian. Alireza Rahimi called on “young people, athletes, artists, students, university students, and their professors” to join the protests, according to both TASS and AP.

President Pezeshkian’s declaration: In a post on X, President Masoud Pezeshkian said that “more than 14 million” Iranians had declared their readiness to sacrifice their lives in defense of the country, and that he himself “has been, is, and will be” devoted to Iran, as reported by the Jerusalem Post and The Guardian.

Preparatory strikes and ceasefire: The Guardian reported that the US and Israel carried out waves of preparatory strikes that appeared to knock off course the chances of a last-minute ceasefire deal ahead of Trump’s 8 p.m. ET deadline. This claim was carried by a single outlet and has not been independently verified.

War crimes concerns: Legal experts say attacks on civilian infrastructure amount to war crimes, as reported by The Guardian. Iranian Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Alireza Rahimi echoed this in his video address, stating that the goal of the protests is to convey to the international community that such strikes are “unacceptable and constitute a war crime,” according to TASS.

Iran rejects ceasefire proposal: The Jerusalem Post reported that Iran has rejected a temporary 45-day ceasefire proposal and demanded a full end to hostilities as well as guarantees for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. This claim was carried by a single outlet and has not been independently verified.

Perspectives

The situation is being framed differently depending on the source.

Iranian official perspective: Iranian officials, including President Pezeshkian and Deputy Minister Rahimi, emphasize national solidarity and readiness to defend the country’s infrastructure. Rahimi’s call for human chains is portrayed as a peaceful, symbolic act to highlight the illegality of targeting civilian facilities.

US and international perspective: President Trump’s administration has framed the deadline as a demand for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil trade. The emphasis is on security and economic consequences, with threats of strikes on infrastructure if Tehran does not comply.

Media framing: Al Jazeera’s report carries a slightly artistic tone, focusing on the musician’s symbolic protest. The Jerusalem Post’s coverage is more focused on the leadership’s calls for national sacrifice, while The Guardian and TASS both highlight the humanitarian and legal dimensions of potential strikes on civilian infrastructure.

How each outlet told it

The Guardian — World as of Apr 7, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC

Framing: Iran prepares for potential US strikes — Neutral with a hint of criticism towards US actions

Facts Included:

Iranians forming human chains around power plants
US deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian media showing people gathering outside electricity stations
Iran's president saying 14 million people signed up to fight for their country
US and Israel carrying out preparatory strikes
Attacks on civilian infrastructure being considered war crimes

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Jerusalem Post as of Apr 7, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC

Framing: Pezeshkian's declaration and US deadline — Neutral with a slightly pro-US tone

Facts Included:

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's declaration
Alireza Rahimi's call for young people to form human chains
US deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's rejection of a temporary ceasefire proposal

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TASS — English as of Apr 7, 2026, 1:15 AM UTC

Framing: Iranian call for mass protests — Neutral with a slightly pro-Iranian tone

Facts Included:

Alireza Rahimi's call for mass protests
Goal of protests to convey that strikes on civilian infrastructure are unacceptable
Importance of public solidarity among Iranians

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What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimIranians formed human chains around power plants in response to US threats of strikes on civilian infrastructure.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from The Guardian — World as of Apr 7, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimUS President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday evening.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Jerusalem Post as of Apr 7, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimMore than 14 million Iranians declared their readiness to sacrifice their lives in defense of the country, according to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Jerusalem Post as of Apr 7, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe US and Israel carried out preparatory strikes that appeared to knock off course the chances of a last-minute ceasefire deal ahead of Trump's deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Guardian — World as of Apr 7, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC
ClaimAttacks on civilian infrastructure amount to war crimes, according to legal experts.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Guardian — World as of Apr 7, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC
ClaimIran rejected a temporary 45-day ceasefire proposal and demanded a full end to hostilities as well as guarantees for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Apr 7, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC
ClaimThe goal of the protests near power plants is to convey to the international community that strikes on civilian infrastructure are unacceptable and constitute a war crime, according to Alireza Rahimi.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from TASS — English as of Apr 7, 2026, 1:15 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim

Transparency & Audit Trail

4 outlets · 4 articles consulted: Al Jazeera, The Guardian — World, Jerusalem Post, TASS — English 8 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-14