Are US and Israel set to escalate war? Israel warns Iranians to avoid trains
Tel Aviv/Tehran: The Israel Defence Forces has issued a rare public warning asking civilians in Iran to avoid using trains until Tuesday evening “for safety,” signalling potential escalation and possible targeting of railway infrastructure.
"For your safety, we ask you to refrain from using trains or travelling by train throughout the country from now until 9 pm Iran time," the military wrote on its Persian-language account.
"Your presence on trains and near railway tracks puts your life in danger."
Iran has shut off access to the internet for weeks, making it difficult for average Iranians to see these warnings. However, Farsi-language satellite news networks abroad do report them, allowing the information to make its way back into the Islamic Republic
The advisory comes amid intensifying conflict and rising fears that transport networks could be the next targets in a widening war involving Israel, Iran and the United States.
Tensions have sharply escalated after Donald Trump expanded his ultimatum to Tehran, threatening strikes not only on military sites but also on critical infrastructure.
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Trump said Monday he is “not at all” concerned about committing possible war crimes as he again threatened to destroy Iranian infrastructure if Tehran does not meet his Tuesday 8 p.m. EST deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal, insisting instead on a permanent end to the war, even as the deadline set by Washington draws closer.
The warning on railway safety came alongside fresh military exchanges. Israel carried out a new wave of attacks on Iran early Tuesday, while Iran responded with missile fire targeting Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbours.
The growing focus on infrastructure has drawn international concern. Antonio Guterres warned that strikes on civilian facilities could violate international law. His spokesperson said Monday that attacking such infrastructure is prohibited.
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The conflict has already taken a heavy toll. More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, though updated official figures have not been released in recent days.
In Lebanon, over 1,400 people have been killed and more than one million displaced, with 11 Israeli soldiers also reported dead. Elsewhere, casualties have mounted across the region — more than two dozen deaths in Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, 23 in Israel, and 13 U.S. service members killed.
The regional spillover risks intensified further after the King Fahd Causeway, a critical link between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain — was shut early Tuesday.
The King Fahd Causeway Authority said vehicle movement had been “suspended as a precautionary measure” over Iranian attacks targeting Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
The 25-kilometre bridge is Bahrain’s only road connection to the Arabian Peninsula and a strategic route near the base of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
Although no direct threat was formally issued against the causeway, analysts warn that such infrastructure could become increasingly vulnerable, especially if Washington follows through on its threats to strike bridges and power plants inside Iran.
With warnings now extending to civilian transport and critical infrastructure, the conflict appears to be entering a more dangerous and unpredictable phase.