The longer the war in the Gulf drags on, the more desalination infrastructure is at risk

Iran and the United States are playing a game of tit-for-tat over what’s a fair military target, and there’s new risk that desalination infrastructure could be on the list. In the past few days, we’ve seen the target list grow to include:

• Industry: US-Israeli airstrikes reportedly hit Iran’s Tabriz Petrochemical Company on Monday. That’s after a weekend that saw Emirates Global Aluminum and others in the region take Iranian hits in response to US strikes on steel producers.
• Academic institutions: US-Israeli airstrikes hit the Isfahan University of Technology on Sunday for the second time since the war erupted.
• Media: Qatar’s Al-Araby TV office in Tehran was struck on Sunday while the bureau chief was live on air.

Trump is now threatening to hit Iranian energy infrastructure if the two sides do not “shortly” reach a deal to reopen Hormuz. The threat came shortly after reports claimed Iran targeted a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait on Sunday, killing at least one worker. Iran denied responsibility later, accusing Israel of carrying out the strike.

Why it matters: Gulf states rely on desalination for over 90% of their drinking water — and Kuwait gets some 42% of its total annual water supply from it. This dependency varies across the Gulf, with Qatar being the most dependent (77% of its total supply) and Saudi Arabia the least exposed (17%).

Attacks on water infrastructure would be an existential threat to GCC nations, not an economic one, and risk drawing them more directly into the conflict.