Iran has threatened “irreversible destruction” of water infrastructure across Gulf countries, if the US follows through on Donald Trump’s threat to attack Iran’s electricity grid. What is a desalination plant and why are they critical to the Gulf? Desalination plants are considered to be among the most sensitive civilian infrastructure in the Gulf. Countries such as Kuwait get 90% of their water from from desalination plants, while for Saudi Arabia it is about 70%. However, after Trump threatened to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure, Iran responded with threats to hit back at the Gulf’s energy and water infrastructure, saying it would cause “irreversible damage”.

Source: The Guardian March 23, 2026 18:45 UTC