Kuwait’s electricity and water ministry confirmed on Tuesday that Iranian strikes had hit several power and desalination plants for a fourth consecutive day, igniting fires and forcing the precautionary shutdown of multiple generation units. The attacks, which Kuwaiti authorities described as part of a “sinful Iranian aggression”, have pushed the government to appeal to the public to ration electricity, particularly air conditioning, to avert blackouts during the peak summer heat.

Kuwaiti officials accuse Iran of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure that supplies the vast majority of the country’s freshwater. Tehran, however, states that its operations are directed at US military assets on Kuwaiti soil, part of a wider campaign of retaliation since a fragile ceasefire with Washington collapsed and US-Israeli strikes hit Iran in late February. The strikes have not been confined to Kuwait: Bahrain has sounded air-raid sirens and urged residents to seek shelter, while Jordan’s armed forces reported intercepting three Iranian missiles aimed at the kingdom. Viewed from Gulf capitals, the attacks represent an expansion of the conflict that directly threatens essential services.

The immediate consequence is a heightened risk to water security. Desalination plants in the Gulf are typically integrated with power generation, meaning any disruption to the electricity grid can halt freshwater output. According to water security expert David Michel, the logic is straightforward: “Cut the water by cutting the power.” With around 90 per cent of Kuwait’s drinking water coming from desalination, the strikes place the population of roughly 4.3 million under acute strain. Residents describe a pervasive anxiety that surpasses even the 1990 Iraqi invasion, as daily explosions and sirens combine with the fear of losing water and electricity. In response, many Kuwaitis are voluntarily switching off air conditioning and outdoor lighting, heeding official calls that conservation is a “shared responsibility”.

The attacks come as the broader US-Iran confrontation shows no sign of abating. Iran has threatened to intensify strikes and has already targeted US radar and air-defence sites in the Gulf, while warning that the conflict could draw in Houthi forces in Yemen. Kuwait’s grid, which survived the 1990–91 occupation and earlier Iranian salvos this year, is now being tested by sustained, repeated bombardment. Repair crews are working to restore damaged facilities, and the ministry has pledged to keep the public informed. For now, the government is relying on emergency protocols and public compliance to keep the lights on and the water flowing, but the trajectory of the conflict leaves little room for certainty.