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President Donald Trump issued a stark warning on Thursday, stating that the United States could carry out a “complete demolition” of Iran’s power plants and bridges within hours if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz by the Tuesday deadline.The ultimatum follows a U.S. cease‑fire proposal that has been conveyed to Tehran through intermediaries. While Trump described Iran’s reply as “significant,” he added that it falls short of what Washington considers acceptable.Trump’s remarks intensify pressure on Iran to restore the vital shipping lane, which transports a large share of global oil. Failure to meet the deadline could trigger the threatened military action, raising the risk of further destabilisation in the already volatile Middle East region.

Donald Trump's open threats to commit war crimes in Iran have raised concerns about his impunity. The US Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v United States has given him reason to believe he can act with impunity within the US. However, there are international options for prosecution that lie beyond the court's lawless license.Trump's plan to bomb Iran and destroy civilian infrastructure, such as desalination plants, electrical-generating facilities, and bridges, would violate international humanitarian law's rule of proportionality. The destruction of civilian infrastructure would have a disproportionate impact on civilians, and therefore, it is not justified.The International Criminal Court (ICC) has charged Russian military commanders with war crimes for attacking electrical infrastructure in Ukraine. Similarly, Trump's actions could be prosecuted as war crimes. However, the ICC has no jurisdiction over crimes committed on Iranian territory since Iran is not a member of the ICC.There are alternative routes for prosecution. The Iranian government could join the ICC and grant it retroactive jurisdiction, similar to what Ukraine did to allow prosecution of Russian war crimes. Additionally, under the concept of universal jurisdiction, governments can use their national courts to prosecute certain crimes even if committed by non-nationals abroad.A group of countries, such as the European Union, NATO, or the G7, could establish an international tribunal to address crimes committed in Iran, including war crimes and aggression. This would allow Trump to be prosecuted as soon as the tribunal is established, without waiting for him to leave office.

Iranian officials have urged young people to form human chains around the country's power plants, as tensions escalate with the US and Israel. The call to action comes as US President Donald Trump threatens massive strikes on civilian infrastructure if Iran doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz.Iranian media showed people gathering outside electricity stations, waving Iranian flags and holding up banners. In Dezful, people gathered on a 1,700-year-old bridge. The country's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said 14 million people had signed up to fight for their country and declared their readiness to sacrifice their lives in defence of Iran.The US and Israel carried out waves of preparatory strikes that appeared to knock off course the chances of a last-minute ceasefire deal before Trump's 8pm ET (1am BST) deadline for Iran to reopen the strait. Attacks on civilian infrastructure amount to war crimes, legal experts say.Alireza Rahimi, identified by Iranian state television as the secretary of the Supreme Council of Youth and Adolescents, issued a video message calling on young people to form human chains around power plants. He asked them to gather on Tuesday at 2pm around the power plants, which he described as national assets and capital.Iran has formed human-chain demonstrations, also known as human shields, in the past around its nuclear sites at times of heightened tensions with the west. A man in Tehran said his household had collected basic necessities and equipment to charge their mobile phones, in preparation to flee the capital if necessary.The indirect negotiations between the US and Iran are continuing, largely by passing messages through Pakistan. However, the intermediaries said they feared that Israel was bombing the chances of reaching an agreement.

President Donald Trump issued an unprecedented ultimatum on Tuesday, stating that if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. ET, he will "completely annihilate the entirety of Iranian civilization." The threat, posted on his Truth Social platform, was accompanied by language suggesting a total regime change and a benediction to the Iranian people. Democratic officials reacted with alarm. Senator Patty Murray called the post "the rantings of a bloodthirsty lunatic," while Senator Chris Coons labeled it "a threat to commit a war crime." Representative Joaquin Castro warned that the rhetoric implied either a nuclear option or an attempt to convince Tehran of such a possibility, and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman urged invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office. Legal scholars highlighted that the United States and Iran are parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which bans collective punishment of civilian populations, and to Additional Protocol I, which prohibits attacks on essential civilian infrastructure. Although the U.S. has not ratified the protocol, a 2024 Biden‑era statement affirmed that its core principles are binding as customary international law. During a chaotic White House press conference, Trump reiterated that "the entire country could be taken out in one night" if Iran failed to meet the deadline, and dismissed concerns about civilian casualties by claiming Iranian civilians themselves were urging continued bombing. When pressed about violations of the Geneva Conventions, he did not dispute the legal point but responded, "I hope I don’t have to do it." The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded that the strait "will never return to its previous state" for the United States and its allies, underscoring the escalating rhetoric on both sides. Amid the diplomatic flare‑up, the administration also submitted a $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget request, featuring sweeping cuts to domestic programs, further intensifying scrutiny of the president’s foreign‑policy priorities. Critics note contradictions in Trump’s stance: weeks earlier he claimed the U.S. had no strategic need for Hormuz, yet now the strait’s reopening is the centerpiece of his ultimatum. He simultaneously declared the war "won" while threatening its most destructive phase. With Democrats urging constitutional remedies and international law experts warning of potential war‑crime violations, the situation places U.S. foreign policy and domestic governance under unprecedented pressure.

An oil slick from a damaged Iranian drone carrier, the Shahid Bagheri, is threatening to contaminate the Hara biosphere reserve, one of the Middle East's most important wetlands. The slick was caused by a US warplane attack in early March, which left the ship leaking heavy fuel oil in Iranian territorial waters near the Strait of Hormuz.The oil has slowly been moving westwards towards the Hara biosphere reserve, the largest mangrove forest on the Gulf shoreline. By 18 March, the oil had traveled 16 miles southwest in the direction of Hara, according to satellite image analysis. The spill could be the most ecologically significant in the region since the first Gulf War.The Hara reserve is an important ecosystem for migrating birds and critically endangered turtles, as well as many species of fish and crustaceans. The region's fishing communities depend almost entirely on the sea for their livelihoods, making the potential impact of the spill significant.Environmental analysts have expressed concern that the situation could worsen if attacks on oil and chemical tankers continue. Wim Zwijnenburg, an environment analyst, noted that “if you keep shooting at oil [and] chemical tankers, at some point you will create a catastrophe if it goes wrong.”

The threat of bombing Iran back to the 'stone ages' by US President Donald Trump has raised concerns about the morality, legality, and utility of such a campaign. In 2006, Israel bombed Lebanon's Jiyeh power station, causing a massive oil spill and significant damage. However, this did not prevent Hezbollah from rearming and continuing to fight. Similarly, Russia's sustained bombardment of Ukraine has not forced the country to concede. History has shown that bombing campaigns, including the British 'area bombing' of Germany in World War II and the US Rolling Thunder campaign against North Vietnam, have not always achieved their desired outcomes. Experts argue that bombing Iran's infrastructure would not change the regime's strategic calculus and would likely give the Iranian government a powerful propaganda tool. The US lacks a credible military option to force Iran into submission, and pressure alone may not be enough to break Tehran. The effectiveness of bombing campaigns in achieving war objectives is highly contested. The article cites the example of the British bomber command's promise to bring about the collapse of Germany within four months, which ultimately proved unsuccessful. Trump's threat to bomb Iran's infrastructure has been met with skepticism by experts, who argue that it is unlikely to achieve its desired outcome and may instead escalate the situation.

Israel’s military issued a stark advisory to Iranians early Tuesday, urging them to avoid all train travel across the country from 8:50 am to 9:00 pm Iran time. The warning, posted in Farsi on social media, warned that anyone near railway lines or stations could become a target as Israel prepared to strike infrastructure. The advisory comes just hours before the U.S. President Donald Trump’s ultimatum expires at 8 pm ET on Tuesday (1 am GMT Wednesday). Trump has repeatedly threatened to “take out” Iran’s bridges and power plants in a single night, a claim he reiterated at a White House press briefing on Monday. Iran rejected a cease‑fire proposal brokered by Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey, insisting on a permanent end to the war and presenting a 10‑point counter‑proposal that the U.S. deemed insufficient. Legal experts have warned that indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime, a concern dismissed by the Trump administration. On the diplomatic front, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X that over 14 million Iranians are prepared to sacrifice their lives for the nation, underscoring the high domestic stakes. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned that Monday would see the “largest volume of strikes” on Iran, with Tuesday expected to see even more attacks as the deadline approached. According to Iranian media, Israel struck Khorramabad airport in western Iran, while Israeli forces also hit a petrochemical plant in Shiraz and a ballistic‑missile launch site in the northwest. The United States reportedly deployed B‑2 stealth bombers that dropped 30,000‑lb GBU‑57 “bunker buster” bombs on an IRGC compound in Tehran, the same munitions used in the June attack on the Fordow nuclear site. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his security cabinet that the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon would continue independently of the U.S.–Iran negotiations, describing a “separation of theatres.” In a related development, a missile strike hit a petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia’s eastern city of Jubail, forcing an evacuation of workers. Israel reported multiple missile impacts in the Tel Aviv area, claiming Iran launched ballistic missiles equipped with cluster warheads, though no casualties were confirmed. Amid the heightened tension, Brent crude rose marginally to just above $110 a barrel in morning trading, reflecting market anxiety over potential disruptions to Middle‑East oil supplies.

Pakistan has put forward a two-phase plan to bring an end to the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, and to reopen the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz. This initiative has been shared with both Iran and the United States, and is currently being considered by both sides.According to sources, Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has acknowledged Pakistan's diplomatic efforts. The plan, tentatively referred to as the 'Islamabad Accord', involves an immediate ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with 15 to 20 days allocated to finalize a broader settlement.The proposed agreement would include Iranian commitments not to pursue nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets. However, Tehran has responded by stating that it will not reopen the strait as part of a temporary ceasefire, and has expressed skepticism about the proposal.The US has not yet responded to Pakistan's plan, while Iran has rejected a 15-point plan put forward by the US last month, describing it as 'illogical'. The conflict has resulted in significant human suffering, with over 2,000 people killed in Iran since the war began on February 28.The situation remains volatile, with Trump threatening 'hell' on Tehran if a deal is not reached by the end of Tuesday. The international community is closely watching the developments, as the Strait of Hormuz remains a critical artery for global fuel supplies, with over 20 percent of the world's oil and gas passing through the waterway.

Emergency responders have mobilized across affected Iranian neighborhoods, searching for survivors after a series of strikes struck residential homes. The operation underscores the immediate humanitarian effort to locate and assist those trapped or injured in the damaged dwellings. Authorities continue to assess the extent of the damage while prioritizing the safety and recovery of the local population.