In a powerful display of resistance, an Iranian musician named Ali Ghamsari was seen performing outside a power plant amid US President Donald Trump’s looming deadline to hit the Iranian civilian infrastructure if no deal is made by Tuesday.
A video purportedly of the performance shows Ghamsari seated on a traditional mat, playing the tar, a long-necked, waisted instrument central to Persian classical music.
Iran embassy in Netherlands also shared the video, captioning it, “Good morning. Enjoy Iranian traditional music. The Iranian musician Ghamsari plays in front of a power plant, civilian infrastructure whose destruction is threatened. He plays humanity, against war, against destruction, for life.”
Ghamsari is a well-known Iranian musician and composer who specialises in Persian classical music on the tar.
“Hello my dear friends. I am currently at the Damavand power plant. I can’t say, I wish you were here with me also since this is the site that has been threatened with attack which I hope won’t happen. I hope the sound of my tar can have an impact on peace, help keep the lights in the homes from going out,” Ghamsari could be heard saying in local language in the video, according the translation aired by Al Jazeera.
Ghamsari’s recital appears to be a bold stand against recent ultimatums from US President Donald Trump, who has threatened a massive bombing campaign against Iran’s civilian infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by Tuesday night (US time).
He warned that failure to comply would result in a simultaneous, large-scale bombing campaign targeting “each and every one” of Iran’s electric generating plants and bridges.
Trump’s ‘8 PM Eastern Time!’ ultimatum
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday, giving Iran until Tuesday, make a deal, warning that there would be “no bridges, no power plants” after that. He described the moment as a “critical period,” stating that Washington had given Tehran sufficient time to negotiate an end to the conflict.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” Trump said in a post.
In another post shortly after, he wrote, “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!”
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Trump claimed Iran asked for extension of seven days and he gave them 10.
“This is a critical period… They asked for an extension of seven days; I gave them 10 days… They have till tomorrow. Now we will see what happens… A lot of people are affected by this. We are giving them until tomorrow, 8 o’clock, Eastern Time. After that, they are going to have no bridges. They are going to have no power plants. Stone Age,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s deputy sports minister, Alireza Rahimi, urged citizens, including artists and athletes, to form “human chains” around power plants. In a video message, Rahimi said, “These are our wealth and belongings,” inviting people to gather near such facilities.
Condemning the threats, Rahimi added, “Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime. We will stand hand in hand to say civilian lives are not targets,” according to a news agency ANI report.
