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Strikes Hit Gulf Infrastructure
The United States and Iran escalated strikes across the Middle East as Iran targeted infrastructure in the Gulf on Saturday and threatened a "full-scale offensive" in retaliation for a week of intensifying US strikes on the Islamic republic.
“Toggle Play A seventh night of US strikes cuts water to villages in Iran’s south The US has bombed bridges and energy infrastructure in the seventh straight night of attacks on Iran”
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said Tehran would resume "full-scale offensive operations" if US strikes continued in the coming days.
Iran retaliated Saturday with strikes on an oil facility in Kuwait and a power and water plant, while Bahrain’s army said air defences repelled a wave of Iranian attacks.
In Kuwait, the strike on the power plant forced several electricity generation units to be deactivated, and Kuwait accused Iran of targeting civilian sites and vital infrastructure after the attack.
The fighting also spread beyond the Gulf, with Jordan hit after the Iranian state broadcaster reported fuel tanks at its Al-Azraq base were targeted, and the Jordanian army said it had shot down 10 missiles.
Water, Power, and Accusations
Inside Iran, NBC News reported that some 10,000 people in 20 villages faced a disrupted water supply on Saturday after the U.S. hit a desalination plant in the Bonji village, with the semiofficial Tasnim news agency quoting the water company’s chief executive.
The Iranian Embassy in India described the attack as a war crime in a post on X, saying, “As a result of the attack, the supply of drinking water to several villages in western Jask County has been disrupted,”.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said Saturday that Iran targeted one of its vital sites, causing several injuries and “significant material losses,” while Kuwait’s foreign ministry said Iran’s targeting of “vital facilities” revealed a “systematic and aggressive approach aimed at civilian targets.”
In Washington, U.S. Central Command said late Friday it had concluded its seventh consecutive night of strikes on military infrastructure and “other assets,” while it did not disclose any strikes on civilian infrastructure.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told Fars news agency that Iran would follow the U.S. in suspending its commitments under the memorandum of understanding, adding, “We are no longer implementing them and are focused on defending the country.”
Escalation Risks and Next Moves
The conflict’s immediate stakes centered on control and disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, with the U.S. and Iran trading strikes after the interim ceasefire agreement collapsed a week ago and with Iran declaring the strait was closed while the U.S. reimposed its naval blockade.
“Iranian strike damages a Kuwait desalination plant, exposing water vulnerability in dry Mideast Iranian strike damages a Kuwait desalination plant, exposing water vulnerability in dry Mideast Iranian strikes on Friday hit a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait, damaging one of the key sources of drinking water in the small desert nation”
Fortune reported that Iran effectively closed the strait to shipping traffic after the war started Feb. 28, sending the price of oil soaring and giving Iran significant leverage in negotiations.
In the air and on the ground, the U.S. Central Command said it ended its latest round of attacks by hitting surveillance sites, military logistical infrastructure, underground weapons storage and maritime capabilities, while Iran accused U.S. forces of targeting civilian infrastructure including an airport, a railway station and two bridges.
The National reported that Kuwait came under sustained attack, with a desalination plant hit and operations at Kuwait International Airport suspended due to repeated missile and drone threats, and Kuwait said it had the right to respond if necessary.
As the next phase loomed, RTHK reported that Major General Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran will resume "full-scale offensive operations" if US strikes against it continue for another two or three days, while the Prothom Alo English account said Tehran would resume those operations if strikes continued in the coming days.
