2026 Qeshm Island desalination plant attack
| 2026 Qeshm Island desalination plant attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2026 Iran war | |
Qeshm Island Location within Iran | |
| Location | Qeshm Island, Iran |
| Date | 7 March 2026 |
| Target | Desalination plant |
Attack type | Airstrikes |
| Accused | United States (per Iran; denied) |
On 7 March 2026, in the opening days of the 2026 Iran war, Iran accused the United States of attacking a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island, an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said that this alleged attack disrupted water supplies to 30 villages.[1] Both the United States and Israel denied making such an attack.
Allegations by Iranian government officials
On 7 March 2026, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of attacking the island, stating that "the U.S. set this precedent, not Iran."[2] He referred to it as "a blatant and desperate crime" which disrupted the water supply to 30 Iranian villages.[3][4] The facility provides critical drinking water. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf claimed that the alleged attack was carried out "with support from one of the air bases in the southern neighboring countries", and warned that Iran would exact "a proportional response".[5]
Denials from Israel and the United States
Both Israel and the United States denied conducting the attack. When asked about it, U.S. President Donald Trump denied knowledge of such an attack, and began discussing alleged terrorism by Iran-backed groups and talked about the October 7 attacks in 2001; "if they're complaining about a desalinization [sic] plant, we complain about the fact that they shouldn't be chopping babies' heads off."[2] U.S. Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkins denied the attack, stating that "U.S. forces do not target civilians."[6]
Allegation and denials about UAE
Reports briefly appeared in the Israeli press saying that the United Arab Emirates had carried out retaliatory strikes on an Iranian water desalination plant, but the UAE denied responsibility and said that it "will never place the Iranian people in the same basket as the Iranian regime".[7][8] The UAE criticized Israeli media and a "senior Israeli source" for spreading "rumors about the actions of another sovereign state".[9]
Iran attack on desalination plant in Bahrain
An Iranian drone attack on 8 March 2026 caused material damage to a desalination plant in Bahrain as part of Iran's retaliatory attacks on Bahrain.[10] Iran said this was in response to the alleged attack on the Queshm Island desalination plant. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that it struck the U.S. Juffair base which it alleged was used to attack Qeshm Island.[11] The attack injured three people. Bahrain condemned the drone strike, stating "the Iranian aggression randomly bombs civilian targets and causes material damage to a water desalination plant following an attack by a drone."[3]
General commentary about attacking desalination plants
Environmental and humanitarian experts warned that targeting desalination plants risks severe regional consequences in the water-scarce Persian Gulf region. Middle East Lead for the U.N. University Institute for Water described such actions as "absolutely a war crime to attack infrastructure that civilians are so dependent on, on either side".[12]
See also
References
- ^ Kowsar, Nik; Nader, Alireza (2026-03-24). "Targeting Iran's Fragile Water Infrastructure Puts the Whole Region in Danger". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2026-03-10. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
- ^ a b Schneid, Rebecca; Jamalpour, Fatemeh (2026-03-08). "Tehran Shrouded in Toxic Cloud After Israel Strikes Fuel Depots". TIME. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
- ^ a b "Bahrain says water desalination plant damaged in Iranian drone attack". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2026-03-12. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
- ^ Breen, Kerry (2026-03-09). "Iran's foreign minister says U.S. has struck a desalination plant". CBS News. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
- ^ "Iranian parliamentary speaker warns attack on desalination plant will invoke 'a proportionate response'". Dawn. 2026-03-07. Archived from the original on 2026-03-08. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
- ^ Gambrell, Jon; Metz, Sam; Chehayeb, Kareem (2026-03-08). "Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father as supreme leader and Saudi sharpens warning". AP News. Archived from the original on 2026-03-11. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
- ^ "UAE officials deny Israeli reports of strike inside Iran". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
- ^ "UAE denies striking desalination facility in Iran". Arab News. 2026-03-08. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
- ^ "UAE denies striking Iran water facility after Gulf attacks | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post. 2026-03-08. Archived from the original on 2026-03-09. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
- ^ Riyadh, Vivian NereimReporting from; Arabia, Saudi (2026-03-08). "Vital Desalination Plants in Iran and Bahrain Are Attacked". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
- ^ AFP (2026-03-07). "IRGC says it attacked US base in Bahrain, claims it was used to strike desalination plant in Iran". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
- ^ Rojanasakul, Mira; Brown, Claire; Tabuchi, Hiroko (2026-03-14). "War in Iran Has Put Middle East Water Supplies at Risk". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-16.