Iran plans 'human chains' around power plants on Trump deadline

The mission to rescue an American pilot downed in Iran showed how a tactical success can open wider strategic possibilities, sharpening debate over how far the United States may expand its footprint inside Iran.

The operation may have cost the United States several military assets, but it also forced Iran to reveal what it considers key terrain, according to former intelligence officer Michael Pregent.

“You can see movement of assets to protect key terrain that we may not have thought was key terrain but the regime does, and that gives an opportunity to exploit the situation," Pregent told Iran International.

That reading is echoed, though more cautiously, by Farzin Nadimi, a defense and military expert on Iran at the Washington Institute.

“It was a very successful operation… It showed real reach, real flexibility, and real results. But at the same time, it also showed… that the mission could very well have failed. And that would leave almost 100 troops in the middle of Iran," he told Iran International.

Read the full article here.

The New York Times has reported details of what it says is a 10-point Iranian proposal aimed at ending the war, which includes a fee to pass the Strait of Hormuz and ending Israeli attacks on Hezbollah.

The plan was reportedly conveyed through Pakistan, which has been acting as a key intermediary in the conflict, but appeared unlikely to resolve major issues ahead of President Donald Trump’s Tuesday evening deadline for new attacks on Iran.

Two senior Iranian officials, speaking anonymously to discuss the sensitive negotiations, said the proposal includes guarantees that Iran would not face further attacks, an end to Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the lifting of all sanctions on Tehran.

In return, Iran would lift its de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route through which a large share of global oil supplies passes.

Under the proposal, Iran would also impose a fee of roughly $2 million per ship transiting the strait, splitting the proceeds with Oman, which sits across the waterway.

Tehran would use its share of the funds to rebuild infrastructure damaged in US and Israeli strikes, rather than seek direct compensation, according to the plan.

Reuters reports that the UN Security Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a resolution aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, but in a significantly watered-down form after China opposed authorizing the use of force.

Efforts by Bahrain, the current chair of the 15-member council, to secure a resolution have involved multiple drafts as negotiators tried to overcome opposition from veto powers China and Russia.

The latest text, seen by Reuters, removes any explicit authorization of force.

Instead, it “strongly encourages states interested in the use of commercial maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz to coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances,” to help ensure safe navigation.

Saeed Jalili, a member of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said critics should allow US President Donald Trump to continue speaking, arguing that his statements reveal Washington’s true character.

“‘Shut up’ is not the appropriate response to Trump’s ramblings; let him speak more,” Jalili wrote on X. “Nothing is more effective in laying bare the true nature of the United States than Trump’s outbursts.”

Jalili is a prominent hardline figure in Iranian politics and previously served as chief nuclear negotiator and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

The White House warned Monday that Iran will face devastating military action if it fails to engage seriously in negotiations ahead of President Donald Trump’s Tuesday deadline.

“Iran will be sent back to the stone ages tomorrow night if they fail to engage in a serious way,” the White House said in a statement.

White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said the president’s national security team is “working together to see if a peace deal is possible.”

Kelly added that the group includes Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.