Iran War Threatens Resource More Precious Than Oil: Water

The US-Israeli war on Iran may be endangering global access to oil and the health of economies worldwide. But analysts say the conflict could threaten the region’s more precious resource. It's one on which life itself depends. Water.

The US and Israel launched airstrikes against the Middle Eastern country on February 28. Before that, Iran was already in a severe drought driven largely by climate change. It was so severe that Iran's leaders warned that “Day Zero” could soon arrive in Tehran. That's the moment when water taps could run dry.    

The airstrikes have harmed Iran’s vital infrastructure. They've hampered energy sources needed to both transport and treat water. They've risked tainting dwindling water resources. And they've strained funding for the country’s water management systems. Worse, perhaps, each side in the conflict has threatened to target water supplies.  

Iran earlier this month hit a desalination plant in Bahrain. It also accused the US of bombing one of its own on Qeshm Island. It's a claim the US denies. Plus, President Trump threatened to hit power plants in Iran. That was if Iran didn’t quickly reopen the Strait of Hormuz for oil tankers. In response, Iran said it would target energy, tech, and water plants across the region.

Trump on Monday paused his threat. The deadline had been set to run out that day. Trump did so on a claim that progress had been made in talks to open the Strait of Hormuz. 

The Middle East is very arid. There, 100 million people depend on desalination plants to survive. They convert seawater into drinking water. In Kuwait, for instance, 90% of the country’s water comes from these plants.   

Marwa Daoudy is a Georgetown University international relations professor. She told CNN: "Water has become part of the long list of targets and (tools) of war. It has sadly become a trend.”

Reflect: How would your daily life change if clean water became harder to access?

Photo of dry Zayanderud river in Iran from Wikimedia Commons.