An Iranian aerial attack struck a power generation and water desalination plant in Kuwait on Friday, causing a fire and impairing several electricity production units, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy confirmed. Emergency response teams extinguished the blaze, and technical crews began work to restore damaged facilities while monitoring the stability of the national grid. The ministry urged residents to reduce electricity consumption during what it termed an “exceptional period,” as the country faces summer temperatures forecast to reach 46°C.

Kuwait’s government described the strike as part of an “Iranian aggression” that violated its sovereignty and threatened regional security. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated it had launched drones and missiles at “deployment sites of US forces and logistical support centres” in Kuwait, claiming to have destroyed HIMARS launchers and munitions depots. The IRGC framed the operation as retaliation for US strikes on Iranian territory. Simultaneously, Bahrain’s military reported intercepting and destroying several Iranian aerial attacks, and Qatar’s defence ministry confirmed a missile interception that injured a child from falling debris. Jordan also reported engaging projectiles. The US Central Command said it had completed a sixth consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets, including coastal surveillance and air defence sites.

Viewed from Gulf capitals, the damage to desalination infrastructure carries acute strategic weight. Kuwait relies on desalination for roughly 90 per cent of its drinking water, a dependency shared across the region: Oman at 86 per cent, Bahrain at 85 per cent, and Saudi Arabia at approximately 70 per cent. Analysts in London note that a prolonged disruption of a major plant could leave Gulf cities without fresh water within days, and if critical components are destroyed, outages could last months. The attack on Friday follows a pattern: in April, a similar strike damaged Kuwait’s Doha West desalination plant, and Houthi forces have previously targeted Saudi facilities.

The latest escalation unfolds despite a fragile ceasefire brokered by a 14-point memorandum of understanding signed on 12 June. Hostilities between Washington and Tehran resumed in late February with Operation Epic Fury, a joint US-Israeli campaign. Since then, Kuwait has repeatedly summoned Iranian envoys, expelled two diplomats, and intensified a crackdown on alleged Iran-linked networks. A June drone strike on Kuwait International Airport killed one person and wounded more than 60. Iranian state media, meanwhile, accuse the US of striking civilian infrastructure, including a desalination plant on Qeshm Island in March, a claim Washington has not acknowledged. Kuwaiti authorities say repair work is ongoing and further updates will be issued through official channels, while the foreign ministry asserts the country’s “inherent right” to take necessary measures under international law.