Iran Attacks Kuwait Water and Power Plants as Hostilities Worsen

Iran attacked Kuwaiti water and power plants in counterstrikes against the US, underscoring how the conflict in the Middle East is worsening and threats on civilian sites are increasingly under threat.

(Bloomberg) — Iran attacked Kuwaiti water and power plants in counterstrikes against the US, underscoring how the conflict in the Middle East is worsening and threats on civilian sites are increasingly under threat. Kuwait’s government said on Friday a desalination and electricity plant was hit, with many power-generation units sustaining damage. Although such facilities in Kuwait were hit at the height of the US-Iran war between March and early April, this is Tehran’s first targeting of power infrastructure during the most recent escalation between the warring countries.

The Gulf Arab state’s authorities are trying to bring the damaged units back online and have already put out a fire caused by the strikes, the Ministry of Electricity and Water said on X. The ministry urged residents to ration electricity to ease pressure on the grid, which would already typically be under high load on a summer day in one of the hottest countries in the world. Kuwait is bracing for temperatures of as much as 50C (122F) this weekend. It’s unclear if there have been power cuts in the country, a key US ally in the region.

The attack was one of several by Iran on Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Oman overnight and into Friday. Most of the missiles and drones targeted US bases. Iran, which has routinely responded in kind to attacks on its territory, hasn’t confirmed targeting Kuwait’s civilian infrastructure.

But its energy ministry announced on Friday that some power-supply facilities in the south of Iran, where US strikes have mostly been concentrated since early last week, have been attacked. It called on residents to limit their use of air conditioning. The US has said it’s primarily striking Iranian military infrastructure, such as missile, drone and radar sites, to try to force Tehran to stop attacking ships going through the Strait of Hormuz.

Still, Washington increased hits on road bridges in the past 24 hours, its sixth straight day of bombing on the Islamic Republic. US President Donald Trump has threatened to intensify military operations until Iran relents on the Hormuz strait. Energy sites, Trump said, will be left until last.

Kuwait has been one of countries hardest hit by recent Iranian strikes. One projectile in June slammed into the passenger terminal at the oil-rich state’s civilian airport, killing one person and injuring more than 60. On Wednesday, four Kuwaiti navy personnel were injured as Iran fired five cruise and one ballistic missile as well as 33 drones.