(The Epoch Times)—Iranian attacks struck power stations and water desalination plants in Kuwait for a fourth consecutive day, sparking fires, damaging facilities, and forcing several electricity-generating units out of service, Kuwaiti authorities said on Tuesday.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy said that several power and desalination facilities were attacked on Monday evening amid what state-run media KUNA described as “heinous Iranian aggression.”

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The ministry said the attacks caused fires at several facilities, but emergency crews working with firefighters and security agencies managed to extinguish the blazes. Authorities were assessing the damage and beginning repairs, it added.

The attacks threaten infrastructure critical to daily life in Kuwait, which has few natural freshwater resources and where roughly 90 percent of drinking water comes from desalination.

The Iranian strike adds to concerns that other water plants across the Gulf could come under attack as the regional conflict escalates. Iran’s military has previously warned that it could target desalination plants and other infrastructure if the United States strikes Iranian fuel and energy facilities.

Desalination supplies around 86 percent of Oman’s water needs, while Bahrain and Qatar are fully dependent on it. In Saudi Arabia, which has greater groundwater reserves, desalinated water accounted for about half of the distributed supply in 2023.

Many of the Gulf region’s desalination plants are co-generation facilities that also supply substantial amounts of electricity to national grids, meaning a major strike could disrupt both water and power services.

Much of the region’s power and water production is concentrated among a relatively small number of large coastal plants within range of Iranian missiles and drones.

Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council has warned that sustained damage to such facilities could affect homes, hospitals, and businesses, potentially triggering broader power failures and mass evacuations.

The United Arab Emirates, where desalination provides more than 80 percent of potable water, condemned renewed Iranian missile and drone attacks against Kuwait—along with Bahrain and Jordan.

The UAE foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Iranian attacks were a “flagrant violation” of the three countries’ sovereignty and a threat to their security and stability. It expressed solidarity with the countries and support for measures they take to protect themselves.

The Iranian regime has said that its attacks in the region are aimed at U.S. military assets hosted by American allies.

Fighting Enters 10th Day

The latest regional attacks coincided with a 10th consecutive day of renewed military exchanges between the United States and Iran following the collapse of an interim agreement reached last month.

U.S. Central Command said on Tuesday that American forces carried out another round of strikes on Monday evening targeting Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, air defenses, and missile and drone launch sites.

The command said the operation was intended to weaken Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that previously carried about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas.

Shipping through the strait has slowed sharply during the fighting. Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a London-based global maritime data and analytics platform, said only three vessels passed through the waterway on Sunday.

“Non-Iran-linked VLCC [very large crude carrier] inbound transits collapsed, signalling evaporating owner confidence,” a Lloyd’s List analyst wrote in a Tuesday note, adding that recent Iranian strikes on vessels are “threatening a chilling effect on owners and operators in the region.”

A tanker was attacked near Oman early on Monday, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations center.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday touted explosions that hit two other ships in the strait, resulting in “massive fires” that immobilized them, according to state-run media IRNA.

“As long as US hostilities persist in the region, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, with no exports of oil, gas, or even fertilizer shipments leaving the area,” IRNA cited IRGC as saying.

U.S. forces have encouraged ships to use a southern route closer to Oman to avoid waters more directly controlled by Iran. Tehran’s attacks on vessels using that route helped bring an end to last month’s ceasefire.

The conflict and disruption to shipping have pushed energy prices higher. Benchmark Brent crude traded near $90 a barrel Tuesday, while the average price of regular gasoline in the United States reached about $4 a gallon.

“The optimist may see the latest American attacks as a last attempt to strengthen the negotiating position before a compromise is reached and the Strait of Hormuz is reopened,” SEB Research analysts said in a note.

“However, the risk is a more prolonged stalemate, with continued uncertain energy flows, higher oil prices and recurring attacks.”

Reuters contributed to this report.