Tehran, Iran – The military confrontation between Iran on one side, and the United States and Israel on the other, has entered a critical phase with attacks targeting the country’s vital infrastructure. Iranian authorities announced on Sunday, March 22, 2026, that their essential water and energy infrastructure had suffered what they described as “serious” damage. This comes as a result of the ongoing attacks since the initial spark of the conflict on February 28.
Power generation, desalination and water transmission facilities were damaged
In remarks reflecting the extent of the damage on the ground, Iranian Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi revealed that vital power generation, desalination, and water transmission facilities had suffered significant structural and technical damage. Aliabadi noted that the latest waves of bombing targeted dozens of strategic sites related to water treatment and distribution, resulting in the destruction of large sections of the national supply network. This threatens the delivery of essential services to millions of civilians. The official ISNA news agency quoted the minister as saying that engineering teams are working under intense security and military pressure to repair the damage and restore operations at the affected stations. All of this is taking place amidst ongoing aerial threats.
Trump’s warning
These Iranian admissions come just hours after a strongly worded warning from US President Donald Trump, who explicitly threatened to target all power plants deep inside Iran unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened to international shipping within a specified timeframe. In an escalating response, Tehran threatened to broaden the scope of its attacks to include energy infrastructure and desalination plants in the region. This raises the specter of the conflict escalating into a full-blown “civilian services” war.
Strait of Hormuz
Amid this escalating tension, maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz came to a near standstill, with reports indicating a significant decrease in ship traffic following attacks on tankers and Iranian warnings. While Tehran announced it would only allow passage for vessels belonging to “friendly” nations, it reiterated its threat to target any naval vessels belonging to countries participating in military operations against it. Consequently, this puts global energy security at risk.
