Iran Threatens to Strike Desalination Facilities, 100 Million People in Middle East Depend on Them for Survival

► Article Observer Network Qi Qian

On March 21, U.S. President Trump threatened that if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened, he will attack Iranian power plants, with a 48-hour deadline. Iran responded strongly, stating that at that time, all energy, information technology, and seawater desalination facilities of the U.S. and its regional allies would become targets.

The mention of “seawater desalination facilities” immediately raised alarms worldwide.

Mario Nawar, founder of Dubai venture capital firm and with 3.2 million followers on social media platform X, pointed out on the 22nd that in Iran’s response, this was “the most critical term” because desalination facilities are the “lifeline” of Gulf countries.

He warned: “The threats just issued by Iran could paralyze the Gulf region.”

Nawar cited analysis indicating that most of the drinking water in Gulf countries comes from desalination plants. Data shows that eight of the world’s top ten seawater desalination plants are located on the Arabian Peninsula, which accounts for 60% of global desalination capacity. A report estimates that attacking the Jubail desalination plant in Saudi Arabia alone would force 8.5 million Riyadh residents to evacuate within a week.

He pointed out that without these facilities, “almost no one in Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE could live; most of Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, would also be uninhabitable.”

The world’s largest seawater desalination plant is located in Ras Al Khair, Saudi Arabia. Social media

The U.S. think tank Atlantic Council published an analysis on the 18th, noting that Middle Eastern countries face drought climates and frequent water shortages, often relying on desalination infrastructure to convert salty water into freshwater. Without such facilities, about 100 million people in the Middle East would be unable to access regular drinking water.

The report states that the Middle East has about 5,000 desalination plants, over 400 of which are in the Gulf region, with a few responsible for most of the output. For example, over 90% of desalinated water in the Gulf comes from just 56 plants.

In Kuwait and Bahrain, desalinated drinking water accounts for about 90% of the national water supply; in Oman, about 86%; in Israel, about 80%; in Saudi Arabia, about 70%; in the UAE, approximately 42%. In Qatar, this ratio approaches 99%. Although Iran is not as heavily dependent on desalination plants as some Gulf countries, it is also facing a water crisis.

The report believes that the concentration of desalination infrastructure in Gulf countries and their proximity to Iran make them particularly vulnerable in escalating conflicts. Strikes on seawater desalination plants could deepen regional instability and trigger further humanitarian disasters or migration crises in the Gulf.

The report predicts that if Iran successfully destroys Gulf desalination infrastructure, the consequences would be extremely severe. Large-scale strikes could impact major cities, disrupting water supply to public facilities, businesses, homes, hotels, and agriculture. These infrastructures are also deeply integrated with the national power grid, potentially causing widespread blackouts or forcing full evacuations.

On March 8, the Bahrain government announced that Iran hit a seawater desalination plant inside Bahrain.

The day before, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian accused the U.S. of attacking the Geshm Island desalination plant in the Strait of Hormuz, which affected water supply to 30 Iranian villages. He warned: “It was the U.S. that set this precedent, not Iran.”

At that time, news of attacks on desalination facilities had already raised widespread concern.

Hussein Ibis, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, told The Wall Street Journal: “This is really hitting the core, and very forcefully. These desalination plants could even be more of a Achilles’ heel for Gulf countries than their energy infrastructure.”