2026 Qeshm Island desalination plant attack
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| 2026 Qeshm Island desalination plant attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2026 Iran war | |
  Qeshm Island Location within Iran | |
| Location | Qeshm Island, Iran |
| Date | 7 March 2026 |
| Target | Desalination plant |
Attack type | Airstrikes |
| Accused |  United States (per Iran; denied) |
On 7 March 2026, in the opening days of the 2026 Iran war, Iran accused the United States of attacking a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island, an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said that this alleged attack disrupted water supplies to 30 villages.[1] Both the United States and Israel denied making such an attack.
On 7 March 2026, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of attacking the island, stating that "the U.S. set this precedent, not Iran."[2] He referred to it as "a blatant and desperate crime" which disrupted the water supply to 30 Iranian villages.[3][4] The facility provides critical drinking water. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf claimed that the alleged attack was carried out "with support from one of the air bases in the southern neighboring countries", and warned that Iran would exact "a proportional response".[5]
Both Israel and the United States denied conducting the attack. When asked about it, U.S. President Donald Trump denied knowledge of such an attack, and began discussing alleged terrorism by Iran-backed groups and talked about the October 7 attacks in 2023; "if they're complaining about a desalinization [sic] plant, we complain about the fact that they shouldn't be chopping babies' heads off."[2] U.S. Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkins denied the attack, stating that "U.S. forces do not target civilians."[6]
Reports briefly appeared in the Israeli press saying that the United Arab Emirates had carried out retaliatory strikes on an Iranian water desalination plant, but the UAE denied responsibility and said that it "will never place the Iranian people in the same basket as the Iranian regime".[7][8] The UAE criticized Israeli media and a "senior Israeli source" for spreading "rumors about the actions of another sovereign state".[9]
Iranian attack in Bahrain
An Iranian drone attack on 8 March 2026 caused material damage to a desalination plant in Bahrain as part of Iran's retaliatory attacks on Bahrain.[10] Iran said this was in response to the alleged attack on the Queshm Island desalination plant. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that it struck the U.S. Juffair base which it alleged was used to attack Qeshm Island.[11] The attack injured three people. Bahrain condemned the drone strike, stating "the Iranian aggression randomly bombs civilian targets and causes material damage to a water desalination plant following an attack by a drone."[3]