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Iran is poised to strike critical desalination infrastructure in the Middle East within days, fueling tensions with the US and Israel and triggering a global economic collapse, a UN official warned on Sunday.
Kaveh Madani, an Iranian scientist and UN official, said desalination plants across the region could be shut down “in the next few days,” raising the prospect of a water crisis in the region and affecting global markets.
The government’s strike threats on Sunday came after President Donald Trump warned that the United States would strike Iran’s energy infrastructure unless the Strait of Hormuz was opened within 48 hours.
The spokesman of the Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya (PBUH) said, “Following previous warnings, if the fuel and energy infrastructure of Iran is attacked by the enemy, all energy infrastructure, information technology, and desalination belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted.”
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UN chief Kaveh Madani warns desalination plants in the Middle East could be shut down within days, risking the region’s water crisis and the collapse of the global economy. (ruelleruelle/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“The desalination plants may be targeted again in the next few days,” Madani told Fox News Digital.
“The world’s driest region may see a real water war, but the disruptive effects on the world’s economy, including the US, will be immediate and permanent,” said Madani, pointing to what he described as “a new phase of the conflict” involving critical infrastructure.
“Now, it adds to the potential for damage to the already fragile water infrastructure, including treatment facilities, pumping stations and water distribution channels,” he said. “The consequences can be catastrophic and permanent.”
Kaveh’s warning comes as the conflict – now in its fourth week – has grown beyond military aims. Desalination plants, including a plant on the Iranian island of Qeshm and another in Bahrain, are believed to have been hit.
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Iran is threatening to target its desalination and energy infrastructure within days, a UN official has warned, with lasting consequences for global markets and water supplies. (Gabriela Maj/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Desalination, the process of creating potable water from seawater, is essential for supplying water throughout Israel and many of Iran’s Gulf neighbors, especially in arid regions where fresh natural water is scarce.
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, echoed the regime’s threats to X on Sunday, warning that “critical infrastructure, energy, and oil in the entire region will be irreparably destroyed, and oil prices will rise for a long time” if Iran’s power plants are attacked.
“With the power outage, water purification and distribution systems in other parts of the country will be destroyed,” explained Madani.
“Iran will retaliate to the attack by destroying the desalination, power and other energy-related infrastructure of all countries in the region that are involved in the war, including Israel,” he added. “Oil and gas prices will skyrocket, and the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, while a humanitarian crisis is created as millions of people lose access to water and electricity in the region.”
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An aerial view of Qeshm Island, separated from the Iranian mainland by the Clarence Strait, on December 10, 2023. (Stringer/File Photo/Reuters)
“The United States is said to have already attacked the desalination plant in Qeshm Island, while the Iranians are suspected to have responded by hitting a plant in Bahrain,” he said.
“Iran is the most dependent on desalination plants, so they are clearly identifying themselves as legitimate targets for retaliation because this is a major threat to other parties in the war across the Middle East,” he added.
Despite those limited gains, Iran itself has faced years of severe drought, mismanagement of water resources, and declining groundwater levels, leaving parts of the country water-deprived.
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“If the Iranians run out of water and/or electricity, they’re not going to wake up,” said Holly Dagres, the Libitzky Family Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
“The sad truth is that the Islamic Republic prefers to let the country burn rather than appear weak in the face of a real threat,” he said.
