Iran strikes Gulf desalination plants: Why they are critical to water supply

2 min readNew DelhiJul 20, 2026 07:54 PM The Iranian military launched attacks against a power and desalination plant in Kuwait for the second time in the past couple of days, a Kuwaiti minry said on Sunday. Tehran had earlier warned of striking desalination plants and other key infrastructure in the Gulf region, and these plants play a vital role for the people in the Middle East.
Though an Iranian official on Sunday said that a desalination plant was struck in the country in a US missile attack, CNN reported. Gulf Arab nations have a reliance on desalination for basic water needs, as the plant converts seawater into drinking water, proving to be a lifesaver and preserving some remote regions in the Gulf during drought.
A few countries in the Gulf region are entirely dependent on desalination plants for drinking water. In the UAE, desalinated water accounts for nearly 80 percent, while in Kuwait and Oman, desalination accounts for around 90 percent of the fresh water requirement. Qatar is fully dependent on desalination, while Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are around 85 percent and 70 percent respectively.
Among the major Gulf cities, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait City, Abu Dhabi, and Jeddah are somewhere wholly dependent on the desalination plants, which the Iranian military has been targeting in retaliation to US strikes. In contrast, Tehran is less dependent on desalinated water, though the process of desalination is vital in providing water to island and coastal communities, CNN reported.
Desalination plants in the Gulf is highly concentrated, and a small number of plants are majorly producing the majority of the demand. According to Atlantic Council, these plants are located within the range of missiles and drone strikes, and that attack on them can initiate a humanitarian and economic crisis.
The consequences of Iranian strikes at the desalination plants in Gulf countries could be destructive, which can disrupt water supplies to public facilities, businesses, houses and hotels, or cascade into city-wide power outages and calls for complete evacuations, the Atlantic Council said, Reuters reported.
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