Iran has successfully restored water supply to thousands of residents in southern villages after United States strikes targeted water reservoirs, state television reported on Thursday. The attacks, which occurred overnight into Wednesday, hit two reservoirs in the town of Sirik, leaving nearly 20,000 people without access to drinking water. Iranian officials have condemned the strikes as a "war crime."
Restoration Efforts Complete
Abdolhamid Hamzehpour, general manager of the Hormozgan Water and Wastewater Company, confirmed that the water distribution network for the affected areas has been fully restored. Speaking to state television on Thursday, he stated that the repair process took "less than 12 hours" and that all intermittent supply issues for subscribers in Kouhestak city and the villages of Bemani district were resolved.
Context of the Strikes
The US strikes were carried out in response to Iran's downing of a US Army Apache helicopter over Gulf waters, according to Washington. However, Tehran dismissed this justification as a "false pretext" and retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting US bases in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait. The conflict, which began on February 28, has seen water and desalination facilities become critical targets, especially in southern Iran and its Gulf neighbors.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the reservoir attack as "a calculated war crime and flagrant violation of human rights." In a post on X, he called for the US to be held accountable for systematic brutal attacks on civilian infrastructure. Mojtaba Ghahremani, head of Hormozgan province's judiciary, also characterized the attack as a war crime.
Previous Attacks on Water Infrastructure
On March 7, at the height of the war, Iran reported that US strikes hit a desalination plant on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz. The following day, Bahrain reported an Iranian strike on a water facility, which appeared to be retaliation for the US attack on Qeshm. These incidents highlight the vulnerability of water infrastructure in the ongoing conflict.
