The Iran War Could Become a Water War

One month after the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, natural resources and geography have taken center stage in the war. Iran, easily outgunned by its enemies, has weaponized its geographical advantage by exerting control over the vital maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

As powerful as that weaponization of geography is, however, Iran has signaled that it is eyeing another way to inflict pain—this time by targeting its neighbors’ supplies of drinking water.

The monarchies of the Gulf have built oases of prosperity in one of the driest regions of the world, creating dazzling infrastructure and generating fabulous wealth by leveraging their oil and gas deposits. But the prosperity they have built is made possible by their ability to turn seawater into potable water.