Tehran defiant after the US president warned the ‘entire country can be taken out in one night’
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenAssociated PressPublished: 4:10pm, 7 Apr 2026Updated: 4:12pm, 7 Apr 2026Air strikes across Iran killed at least 15 people on Tuesday, while Iran fired on Israel and Saudi Arabia, prompting the temporary closure of a major bridge.
The attacks came as Iranian officials urged youths to form human chains around power plants to protect them, as the latest deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz drew closer.
Trump has threatened to bomb all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Iran does not meet his Tuesday 8pm EDT deadline (8am Wednesday Hong Kong time) to allow shipping traffic to fully resume through the strategic waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits in peacetime.
“The entire country can be taken out in one night,” Trump said.
Israel’s military warned Iranians in Farsi to avoid taking trains throughout the day, likely telegraphing intended strikes on the rail network.
