Tehran, Mar 9: Bahrain has accused Iran of striking one of its desalination plants with missiles or drones, raising fears that vital civilian infrastructure may increasingly become targets as the regional conflict intensifies.
The allegation came as Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian warned that Tehran could expand attacks on American targets across the Middle East in response to continuing airstrikes by the United States and Israel.
Bahrain said the attack damaged a desalination facility but did not disrupt water or electricity supplies. Desalination plants are critical in the Gulf region, providing drinking water for millions of people.
The strike heightened concerns because such facilities are considered essential civilian infrastructure. Bahrain, which hosts the United States Fifth Fleet, has already been targeted in recent Iranian missile and drone attacks that also hit hotels, ports and residential buildings.
The escalation comes amid an expanding regional war that began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched large-scale airstrikes on Iran. Since then, the conflict has spread beyond Iran, with attacks reported in Gulf countries and heavy fighting in Lebanon.
According to officials, the war has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 300 in Lebanon and about a dozen in Israel, while six US troops have also died.
In Tehran, an Israeli overnight strike hit oil storage facilities, sending thick smoke across the capital. Iranian officials said the attacks damaged oil tankers and a petroleum transfer terminal, killing four people. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that the war could further disrupt the country’s oil industry and make production and exports increasingly difficult. President Pezeshkian struck a defiant tone, saying Iran would respond more forcefully to continued pressure.
His remarks contrasted with earlier comments in which he had expressed regret over Iranian strikes on neighboring Gulf states and urged them not to support US or Israeli operations. Iranian officials also claimed that a US airstrike damaged a desalination plant on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, affecting water supplies for about 30 villages. Tehran argued that such attacks set a precedent for targeting water infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Israel intensified its offensive in Lebanon against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Lebanese authorities said the death toll had risen to nearly 400, including dozens of women and children, while more than 400,000 people have been displaced as residents flee the bombardment.