In the Gulf countries, oil drives the economy, but water sustains life.
While global markets often panic over oil prices, a much more devastating threat is emerging: the targeting of desalination plants.
Last week, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said an attack on a desalination plant on Qeshm Island, in the Persian Gulf, on March 7, 2026, had affected the water supply to 30 villages.
As regional tensions escalate toward an “eye for an eye” approach to infrastructure warfare, any campaign against these “essential” systems risks a permanent toll on humans, biodiversity, and the environment.