Tehran claims that the US targeted an Iranian desalination plant on Qeshm island in the south of the country in an air strike last weekend. Iran responded with drone strikes on a Bahraini desalination plant, which was damaged but has continued to function. Iran has also been accused of targeting the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah water and power complex and Kuwait’s Doha West desalination plant. It supplements these basic supplies with water from a few desalination plants which provide a fraction of its needs. Iran has faced years of water shortages and its position is especially perilous: last autumn, for example, Tehran faced critical water shortages after only 1mm of rain fell during the autumn period.

Source: The Irish Times March 10, 2026 21:45 UTC