The Japan Times - New strikes in Tehran as deadline looms for Trump threat to infrastructure

The US leader has warned that unless Tehran allows free passage through the strategic oil chokepoint by midnight GMT, the United States will unleash what he called the "complete demolition" of Iran's critical infrastructure.

"I'm terrified and so should everyone else in the country be," university student Metanat, whose classmate died two weeks ago in an attack, told AFP.

The 27-year-old, who declined to give her last name, said as far as Trump's ultimatums are concerned, "some people think they are a joke", but she added: "Death is not a joke."

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, which is mediating between Iran and the United States, said Tuesday on X that efforts to end the war were "approaching a critical, sensitive stage", without giving details.

More than five weeks into the war, the Iranian army has dismissed what it called Trump's "arrogant rhetoric and baseless threats", saying they would not hinder its operations.

Brushing aside accusations that such strikes would constitute war crimes, Trump at a press conference warned that "every bridge in Iran will be decimated" and "every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again" if a deal is not reached.

Iranian pensioner Morteza Hamidi said he has seen Trump back down too many times to take his words seriously: "We are now numb to his threats," he told AFP.

The 62-year-old added that among many emotions, he felt "gloomy for the future of the country after the war".

On Tuesday the Israeli army told Iranians to avoid taking trains until 1730 GMT, while in the Gulf traffic across King Fahd Bridge, a major artery connecting Saudi Arabia and the island nation of Bahrain, was temporarily closed as a precaution amid fears of retaliatory strikes by Iran.

- Explosions -

A series of explosions was heard across Tehran on Tuesday, with AFP journalists noting blasts in the north of the city.

US-Israeli strikes also "completely destroyed" the capital's Rafi-Nia synagogue, local media reported.

Israel's military said Tuesday it had carried out a new "wave" of airstrikes on what it called Iranian "terror regime infrastructure" in Tehran and other areas.

Iranian media said explosions were heard in parts of the capital and nearby Karaj early in the day.

The Israeli army later said it had detected missiles launched from Iran towards Israeli territory, adding that air defence systems were working to intercept them.

Overnight, attacks on Saudi Arabia hit a petrochemical complex in a sprawling industrial area in the eastern city of Jubail, a witness who requested anonymity told AFP, hours after similar installations in Iran were struck.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said air-raid sirens sounded Tuesday morning, while the United Arab Emirates said its air defences were actively engaging missiles and drones.

- Ceasefire proposal rejected -

Both Trump and Iran have said a proposal touted by international mediators for a 45-day ceasefire is not yet ready.

Trump had said earlier that the plan, which is being mediated by Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey, was a "significant proposal", but he later went on to say it was not good enough.

Iranian state media quoted officials as saying that Tehran too "has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict".

Under the plan, Iran would reopen the strait while charging around $2 million per vessel, a fee it would share with neighbouring Oman, the New York Times reported.

Sina Toossi, a senior fellow at the US-based Centre for International Policy, wrote that "infrastructure war is not looming. It is already underway".

Iran's resilience means that "Tehran is unlikely to give ground on its core interests, above all its control over the Strait of Hormuz, no matter the cost", he wrote in a Substack newsletter.

On the diplomatic front, the UN Security Council is set to vote Tuesday on a watered-down resolution addressing Iran's threats to the strait, diplomatic sources told AFP, after more robust earlier drafts faced potential vetoes.

Iran has effectively blocked the waterway since the start of the war on February 28, driving up global oil and gas prices. Around one‑fifth of the world's oil normally flows through the strait.

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H.Nakamura--JT