- Donald Trump issued a warning to Iran, threatening to target its energy infrastructure, including desalination plants, if a deal is not reached soon and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
- He stated that failure to meet these conditions would result in the US "blowing up and completely obliterating" Iran's electric generating plants, oil wells, Kharg Island, and potentially all desalination plants.
- Analysts cautioned that the main risk lies in potential Iranian retaliation, which could devastate Gulf Arab states heavily dependent on desalination for their water supply.
- Targeting desalination facilities, crucial for civilian survival in the water-scarce Middle East, is considered a war crime under international humanitarian law.
- A 2010 CIA analysis underscored the extreme vulnerability of the Gulf's 56 critical desalination plants, warning that attacks could trigger national crises and prolonged outages.
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