Iran’s military warned Sunday that it could strike desalination and other critical water facilities belonging to the US and Israel if its own energy and water infrastructure is attacked.
Desalination plants are crucial in the Middle East, supplying 70–90% of drinking water in countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait, and underpinning major cities such as Dubai and Riyadh. Experts warn that attacks on these facilities could trigger rationing, economic disruption, and even mass evacuations. While some plants have security measures such as missile batteries and reserves to cushion short-term outages, prolonged strikes could have catastrophic consequences.
Previous incidents include Iranian drone strikes on Bahrain’s desalination plant and US strikes on Qeshm Island in Iran, illustrating the heightened vulnerability of the region’s water infrastructure. Analysts say any escalation could make the war far more severe than the current military conflict.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that Washington may need to “escalate to de-escalate” in its war against Iran, after President Donald Trump gave conflicting signals about the military campaign. On Saturday, Trump threatened to “obliterate” Iranian energy plants if Tehran did not fully open the Strait of Hormuz, just a day after saying US objectives were “very close” and that he was considering “winding down” operations.
Bessent defended the strategy as the “only language the Iranians understand” and lifted US sanctions on Iranian and Russian oil already on ships to stabilize global markets, a move critics say could indirectly fund Iran amid the ongoing conflict. Oil prices have surged worldwide, raising costs at US pumps ahead of the midterms, though Bessent argued that neutralizing Iran’s nuclear threat will justify temporary economic pain. Meanwhile, Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah, urged Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to spare civilian infrastructure, saying it “belongs to the Iranian people and to the future of a free Iran.”
The United States and Iran escalated threats on Sunday as the Middle East war entered its fourth week, putting lives and livelihoods at risk across the region. Iran warned that the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for oil and other exports, could be “completely closed” if the US attacks its power plants, following President Donald Trump’s 48-hour deadline to reopen the waterway.
Israeli communities near a secretive nuclear site were struck by Iranian missiles late Saturday, wounding scores, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “miracle” no one was killed. Netanyahu said Israel and the US were advancing toward their war objectives, which include curbing Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and weakening its regional influence.
The conflict, launched on February 28, has killed over 2,000 people, disrupted the global economy, and pushed oil prices higher. Meanwhile, Iranian-backed Hezbollah claimed an airstrike that killed a man in northern Israel, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described Israeli attacks on bridges in the south as a “prelude to a ground invasion.”
