Iran desalination plant in the Strait of Hormuz out of service following strikes

A desalination plant on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz has been knocked offline following an air strike earlier in March, according to an Iranian Health Ministry official. The facility's destruction is part of a broader campaign of US strikes targeting Iranian infrastructure, including recent attacks on Tehran and Isfahan. The Trump administration has been striking Iranian targets as leverage to push Tehran toward negotiations on a deal. The loss of the desalination plant undermines Iran's water security in a strategically critical region that controls roughly a third of global maritime oil traffic. The strikes represent an escalation in pressure on Iranian leadership amid ongoing diplomatic tensions.