Middle East crisis Iran war

Accusations: US and Iran have damaged water facilities

In recent hours, both Iran and the US have been accused of attacking desalination plants, CNN reports.

For several countries in the Middle East, such plants are vital for converting seawater into drinking water.

The first accusation came from Kuwait, which states that a desalination plant caught fire after an Iranian attack.

At the same time, Iran claims that US missiles have hit a plant on the coast, which according to local authorities has left 20 villages without water.

CNN reports that the US military is being sought to ask questions about the accusation.

US wants to isolate important port: “Has no choice”

The city of Bandar Abbas in Iran has been almost completely isolated after US attacks on bridges in the area, writes The Telegraph.

The city has a major port that is used for almost half of the country's food, fertilizer and steel imports. By Friday morning, all roads to and from the city had been destroyed and railways were cut.

The port is also a key point for Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz. That's why the Trump administration believes it is a crucial target to end the war, according to Michael Rubin, who previously worked as a Pentagon official.

- There is a growing perception that whether the United States wants to do this or not, it really has no choice if it wants to end this, he says.

BBC analysis shows that the United States hit civilian infrastructure

In the US attacks on Iran on Saturday night, civilian infrastructure was damaged - including bridges and a tunnel. This is claimed by the state-run Iranian news agency Irib according to CNN.

The US military command for the Middle East, in turn, states that the attacks have been directed at “military logistical infrastructure, underground weapons depots and naval combat capabilities,” writes the BBC.

At the same time, the US rejects Iranian accusations that several bridges, a train station and an airport were hit during an earlier attack. However, the BBC writes that it has verified, using video footage, that at least one bridge in northern Iran has been damaged.

According to the Geneva Convention, attacks on civilian infrastructure can constitute war crimes.