Azam Jangravi, a human rights activist, told TML that the ruling regime “does not care about the fate of the Iranian people” and urged a unified stance to prevent potential US strikes on power plants and vital infrastructure
Many Iranians are increasingly alarmed at the prospect of widespread destruction of the country’s power plants and critical infrastructure, following threats by US President Donald Trump to escalate military action after a deadline set to expire early Wednesday, Tehran time.
This comes as the human toll of the war in Iran has reportedly surpassed 2,000 fatalities, with thousands injured, hundreds of thousands rendered homeless, and millions displaced.
Negar, a journalist with more than a decade of experience in Tehran’s media landscape, told The Media Line that she has been unemployed since the start of the Iranian New Year, March 20. Her home in western Tehran sustained significant damage during intense airstrikes, while her mother’s house in Karaj has been completely destroyed, forcing them to live together.
She expressed deep concern over potential power outages, warning that electricity cuts would likely trigger cascading failures in water supply, gas distribution, telecommunications, and essential urban services, including hospitals, fuel stations, public transport, retail operations, and food distribution networks.
The Islamic Republic, while refusing to yield to US demands, has imposed a total internet blackout for approximately 90 million people over the past 40 days under wartime conditions. As a result, millions have been cut off from critical information and from contacting family members both inside and outside the country.
Authorities, fearing a resurgence of mass protests fueled by online mobilization, have enforced what is described as the most extensive internet shutdowns globally—effectively isolating citizens and reinforcing the perception of Iran as a “vast prison.”
Related story: ‘This Wasn’t the Help You Promised’: Iranians React as President Trump Postpones Power Strike
On Monday, Donald Trump reiterated that if the Islamic regime does not comply with US demands by 8:00 p.m. Washington time on Tuesday (early Wednesday in Tehran), bridges and power plants could be targeted in subsequent strikes. He warned that “the entire country could be destroyed in one night.”
President Trump had previously threatened to “return Iran to the Stone Age,” remarks that drew sharp criticism from Iranian opposition figures. Among them, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi stated that the destruction of infrastructure would ultimately be borne by ordinary Iranians, not the ruling regime. “Infrastructure—electricity, water, refineries, roads, airports, communication networks—does not belong to the Islamic Republic; it belongs to the nation,” she said. “Destroying it means imposing yet another cost of war on a population that has already been victimized.”
US President Donald Trump has threatened that, once his deadline expires, he will “return Iran to the Stone Age” and unleash “Hell.” When asked whether this would bring further suffering to the Iranian people, he responded that many Iranians are calling for the bombings to continue. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
In recent days, President Trump has issued a series of escalating warnings and even called on Iranians to rise up against the regime in the event of a ceasefire. He wrote: “An entire civilization will die tonight.”
A controversy arose when he claimed that the United States had supplied weapons to Iranian groups to be passed on to protesters, but that these groups had instead retained the arms themselves. Prominent figures associated with Kurdish parties—amid speculation that he was referring to Kurdish opposition groups to the Islamic Republic—swiftly denied the allegation, stating that no such weapons had been received and that, even if such transfers had occurred, the intended recipients were unclear.
Many opposition figures also condemned Trump’s rhetoric about plunging Iran into a “Stone Age” or “Hell,” interpreting it as an affront to the Iranian people and a threat to the lives of nearly 90 million citizens. They argue that the ruling religious establishment places little value on civilian welfare or infrastructure, as its ideological foundations—rooted in a regressive interpretation of Shiite eschatology—may frame such crises as aligned with apocalyptic expectations, prioritizing regime survival over public well-being.
Azam Jangravi, a human rights activist and a prominent figure associated with Iran’s women’s movement, told The Media Line that the ruling regime “does not care about the fate of the Iranian people.” She urged a unified stance to prevent potential US strikes on power plants and vital infrastructure, warning that such actions would endanger tens of millions of lives. “This is an extremely grave threat,” she said, adding that attacks would not only disrupt daily life but could place countless civilians at risk of death.
Azam Jangravi, a feminist and one of the prominent figures of Iran’s “Girls of the Revolution,” says that opponents of the Islamic Republic—both those who support US and Israeli strikes on Iran and those who oppose the war—must unite in calling for an end to attacks on the country’s power plants and essential infrastructure. (Instagram)
Over the course of the six-week conflict, numerous airports, aircraft, refineries, and key industries—including steel and petrochemical—have been targeted, along with research centers and even major pharmaceutical facilities. Rebuilding these assets, many of which were developed over the past 80 years, will require vast financial resources, specialized expertise, and years of reconstruction. Estimates suggest total war damage has exceeded $800 billion, while the International Monetary Fund recently projected reconstruction costs of approximately $600 billion over a 15-year period.
Official figures indicate that nearly 93,000 residential, commercial, and administrative units have been struck—most of them in Tehran—leaving parts of the capital’s east, west, and north resembling, in the words of residents, “Gaza after the recent war.” Additionally, 286 healthcare facilities and more than 600 schools have been destroyed, even as security forces have reportedly stationed themselves in some schools and near medical centers. Several cultural heritage sites, including Tehran’s Golestan Palace, Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan complex, and Falak-ol-Aflak fortress in Khorramabad, have also sustained damage, raising concerns about the loss of irreplaceable historical assets.
Simultaneously, the Islamic Republic has launched a new wave of executions, reportedly to instill fear among the population. Following the execution of six members of the opposition group Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), several protesters from the January uprising have also been executed on charges such as attacking security bases. Human rights groups warn that many more detainees—including political prisoners affiliated with leftist groups, Kurdish parties, and opposition organizations—are at risk of execution.
New prison sentences have been issued against prominent figures of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, including Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi and labor activist Sepideh Gholian. Reports have also emerged of Mohammadi’s deteriorating health following a heart attack in prison, and authorities have denied her adequate medical care.
Related story: Islamic Republic Executes 3 Uprising Protesters on Eve of Iranian New Year
At the same time, hundreds of individuals have been detained in recent weeks on accusations ranging from collaboration with foreign media to espionage. Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, head of the judiciary, has called for expedited rulings against protesters and opponents, including the issuance of death sentences.
Atefeh Daneshgar, a human rights journalist who has researched political prisoners in Iran and recently left the country due to escalating pressure on journalists, told The Media Line that authorities are exploiting wartime conditions to intensify repression. She described the current situation as unprecedented in the history of the Islamic Republic in terms of human rights violations, noting that many political prisoners are held in dire conditions and that those sentenced to death face the risk of execution without prior notice.
Atefeh Daneshgar, a journalist and human rights researcher, says the war has intensified the repression of protesters and placed the lives of political prisoners at serious risk, with many detainees now facing the threat of execution. (Instagram)
As many Iranians brace for what some describe as “Hell within Hell” amid fears of US strikes on power infrastructure, authorities have reportedly called on supporters—including children—to form human chains around power plants.
Meanwhile, informed sources indicate that internal divisions between President Masoud Pezeshkian’s camp and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) head, Ahmad Vahidi, and senior commanders have reached a peak, with executive authority increasingly shifting into the hands of the IRGC.
People walk along the Pardisan Park in Tehran on April 5, 2026. Tens of thousands of homes in Tehran have been damaged, leaving many residents displaced. However, the primary concern now is the potential targeting of power plants following threats by Donald Trump—a scenario that could further endanger civilian life across the capital (ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)
Majid, a resident of Mahshahr who lost a relative in recent airstrikes on the port city, said that widespread fear—stemming both from ongoing aerial bombardment and the prospect of a ground offensive with civilian casualties caught between two fronts—has driven many residents to relocate to other cities or nearby rural areas, where possible.
He noted that while the targeting of senior regime figures and military and security forces has shaken the system, the destruction of urban infrastructure and national facilities has instead deepened public despair. Many, he said, did not expect that the assistance President Trump had promised would ultimately result in the devastation of their lives and the ruin of their country.
As the final hours of President Trump’s deadline approach, many social media users in Iran who still have internet access have posted messages and images suggesting these may be their last.
One Iranian feminist wrote: “If I am not alive tomorrow, strike anyone—whether inside or outside the country—who mourns for us. Both sides were warmongers responsible for our deaths.”
