Iranian military officials have threatened to strike desalination plants and energy infrastructure across the Gulf region, escalating tensions in a direct response to President Donald Trump's ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or face attacks on Iranian power facilities.
In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, declared: "As soon as our country's power plants and infrastructure are targeted, the vital infrastructure, energy, oil, and gas in the entire region will be considered legitimate targets and will be destroyed irreversibly." The statement explicitly included desalination plants among the threatened targets.
This marks the first time in modern history that civilian water infrastructure has been declared a military target in the Gulf.
100 Million Lives at Stake
The threat carries catastrophic implications for a region almost entirely dependent on desalination technology for survival. Kuwait derives 90% of its drinking water from desalination plants. Oman relies on them for 86% of its water supply, with virtually no backup reserves. Israel depends on desalination for 75% of its water, Saudi Arabia for 70%, Bahrain for 60%, Qatar for 50%, and the United Arab Emirates for 42-50%.
Unlike regions with rivers, lakes, or extensive groundwater reserves, Gulf states exist in desert terrain where desalination is the only viable large-scale water source. Approximately 100 million people across the region would face immediate water scarcity if these facilities were destroyed.
Unprecedented Escalation
The Atlantic Council confirmed that "several limited attacks on desalination plants in Iran and Bahrain" have already occurred—marking the first recorded instances of such targeting in the region's history. demonstrated the viability of this strategy when a single strike on cut water supply to 30 villages.
