An Iranian attack on Friday (July 17) damaged a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait, authorities said, according to the Associated Press (AP). The desalination plant is one of the main sources of drinking water for the small country located in the northeastern part of the Arabian Desert.
The country’s authorities said that a large number of power generation units were damaged and caught fire in the attack. They added that the fire has been brought under control.
AP reported that about 90% of drinking water in Kuwait, about 86% in Oman, and about 70% in Saudi Arabia comes from desalination, exposing the extreme vulnerabilities of these countries, which are among the driest in the world.
There are hundreds of desalination plants along the Persian Gulf coast, and if most of the water supply systems are damaged, it will have a huge impact on the populations of major cities.
The Iran war has raised concerns about Middle Eastern desalination plants, which cities, hotels, industries, and some agriculture depend on. Meanwhile, fighting and attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes, have disrupted global markets and pushed up fuel prices.
According to various international media reports, Iran has carried out attacks near several desalination plants in the Gulf region in recent months. Previously, damage to the Doha West desalination plant was reported early in the war. Parts of the plant were damaged by debris from intercepted drones or missiles in the sky or by the impact of strikes on nearby port areas.
Also Read: US-Iran War: Will Peace Talks Resume? Trump Says Iran Called After U.S. Strikes
In March, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that the United States had attacked Iranian desalination plants on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off water supplies to 30 villages, although Washington did not acknowledge the attack.
According to the AP, many freshwater supply systems in the Gulf region are physically integrated with power stations as co-generation plants, meaning that drone or missile attacks on electrical infrastructure could also disrupt water production.
