At least 10,000 people in southern Iran lost access to drinking water after a seawater desalination plant was damaged during U.S. strikes along the country's southern coast, Iranian officials said Saturday, raising fresh humanitarian concerns as temperatures climbed above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
The disruption followed an attack on a desalination facility in the Bonji area of Jask County in Hormozgan province, according to the provincial water utility, whose statement was carried by Iran's government press service and state media.
Officials said the strike destroyed the plant's seawater intake station and an electrical transformer, forcing the facility out of service.
The damage has interrupted drinking water supplies to about 20 coastal villages that rely on desalinated seawater because of limited freshwater resources and scarce groundwater, Iranian authorities said.
The U.S. military has not specifically addressed the reported damage to the desalination plant. U.S. Central Command has said its operations in southern Iran are intended to weaken Tehran's military capabilities and reduce threats to shipping through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
