Iranian attack hit water desalination plant in Kuwait

[Ihatetomatoes]

Cannot find a link yet but was on BBC as breaking news.

If you're referring to me, my position has not changed.

Not about Israel stopping humanitarian aid completely for about 2 months in the war. Not about it being understandable why Israel would feel it's a security risk to not know the ID of people working for MSF, etc.

It has been widely reported that US troops have been sent to hotels because of damage to military bases. I cant post a link but plenty of reports. Vacant offices are being used as well apparently. The Kuwait Foreign Minister is urging Gulf State hotels not to house US troops.

I am against destroying civilian infrastructure, and for sure it should be considered a war crime.

However, I would say Military desalination plants and infrastructure to Military bases is ok to target. And here comes a problem. Because when the troops decant from their bases to live in civilian areas, then does the infrastructure that supports them be a valid target ? It is supporting the enemy troops after all. I would say maybe, depending on how many troops. Because really, if the military bases can't support the troops, then they should withdraw to another area, and stay away from civilian areas.

It appears Israel and the US use the logic that wherever troops are billeted is a legitimate target.

So it's not really black and white. The troops are the target. And really, in my view, if the bases can't support them, then they should go camp in the countryside around. Not check into hotels.

What are you talking about military desalination plants?

There are no military desalination plants. The whole population needs drinking water.

I remember 2 threads - re Israel blocking 35 NGOs and another about reproductive violence where the stance was definitely not pro humanitarian aid. Posters were accused of being anti semitic for simply starting the thread. (The issue was also discussed in Feminism as Juliet Stevenson had written a letter to Justine Roberts and a statement was later issued by Mumsnet in Guests in full support of aid.

I didn’t want to revisit but feel that the comment @Twiglets made was really misleading re stance on humanitarian aid for Palestinians.

Where do the US bases get their water then ?

Not from their own private desalination plant.

I think I know better than you what I said at the time re Israel pausing humanitarian aid for about 2 months.

Your dislike of me for generally supporting Israel is clouding your judgement so you think I never criticise Israel but I do.

So about 13.5 K US Troops in Kuwait. 100 to 150 liters per day per head. Add water for military uses, washing jets etc. That's a lot of water. About 0.8 Olympic swimming pools per day. They can't fly all that in bottled.

So where do they get all that water ? From the civilian system ?

Kuwait apparently has 7 desalination plants with a total output of 2.4 million cubic meters per day (960 Olympic pools).. If the US bases do not have their own to supply their needs, then in theory that could make the civilian one that supplies their bases legitimate targets. Would you agree with that in principle ?

If the base is a legitimate target, then is not the plant that supplies it's water? Even if made inoperable, that still leaves 6 working.

That is the aim of war. To strike the enemy and reduce their capacity to fight.

If the US bases do not have their own to supply their needs, then in theory that could make the civilian one that supplies their bases legitimate targets.

Oh heck I suspect if you asked 10 different legal experts on Laws of Armed Conflict, the various Conventions etc for an opinion you'd get 11 different answers and then further arguments about whether exceptions apply....

https://opiniojuris.org/2026/03/31/water-under-fire-the-illegality-of-reprisals-against-desalination-plants/

You are not going to get me to agree in principle using twisty logic that it’s ok to destroy desalination plants. It isn’t and that is something I feel confident most people would agree with me about.

Great article thanks. Going to take time to digest.

That article is clear re survival of the population. I just double checked how many desalination plants are in Kuwait, and this time I got 8. So attacking one of them that feeds a military base could be proportional if it does not threaten survival of the population?

And yes, I totally agree it is wrong to attack civilian desal plants. It's not black and white though.

And I think morally, if a military base in a desert region does not have it's own water supply, and is relieant on civilian infrastructure, then it could be argued it is using that as a shield against attack.

Complex indeed.

I did condemn the attack and stated it was a war crime (assuming Iran is guilty of course, though who else would do it?)

But at the same time i did ask you what you thought about the destruction of the Pasteur Institute and the bombing of a bridge and then bombing it again an hour later....(by the USA) just as the rescuers were in situ...

You didn't answer... so by your standards.....

It's not twisty logic. It's just logic. @notimagain posted a good article. Have a read and apply the same logic as, for example. the IDF in Gaza.

And consider what I replied to notimagain with. Are the US technically using civvie plants as a sort of shield ?

It's not black and white, is it ?

You have, over many threads, argued that IDF actions in Gaza are proportionate and not war crimes, even when hospitals and schools destroyed, medics targeted, Journalists killed

Because Hamas use tunnels/ambulances/human shields etc etc....

At least be consistent.

Glad you totally agree that it is wrong to attack desalination plants (they are all civilian).

That's all that needs to be said really.

I think that article I stumbled across is fairly typical of many doing the rounds on for example the use of certain munitions or actually striking certain targets such as civilian infrastructure.

On many occasions an act immediately looks like a foul to the naked eye ..."war crime" is the cry, but then read the fine print contained the conventions or laws and the legalise kicks in to muddy the water...e.g. in this case "heightened protection", not complete protection, "generally prohibited" not completely and then mention of an Additional Protocol.....

"...can attacks on desalination plants be lawful? This post argues that as desalination plants qualify as objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population under international humanitarian law (IHL), and therefore enjoy heightened protection. Any attack on them, including those framed as reprisals, is generally prohibited, except in the circumstances enshrined under Additional Protocol I (AP I)"

Is there a lawyer in the house?

I have argued that some IDF actions are proportionate.

Not everything they have done.

Every situation is different and nuanced so it's not just a case of "being consistent."

Attacking water desalination plants is wrong whether done by Iran, Israel or the US because everyone has the right to water. Plus the Kuwait site was not a military site or a site built on top of a military command centre or a site with terrorists hiding in tunnels underneath, it's just a desalination plant.

Trump has posted this

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

And

Senator Lindsey Graham after speaking with Trump: “I am completely convinced that he will use overwhelming military force against the regime if they continue to impede the Strait of Hormuz and refuse a diplomatic solution to achieve our military objectives."

You done that thing of misrepresenting what posters say again.

I said this:

"And yes, I totally agree it is wrong to attack civilian desal plants. It's not black and white though."

You say I said this:

" totally agree that it is wrong to attack desalination plants (they are all civilian)."

You removed a condition from what I said, and you replaced it with an unestablished "fact". We do not know if the US military operate their own plants. Or are they effectively trying to "shield" themselves by plumbing their bases into civilian supplies. The latter point surely has ethical issues worth discussing ?

In any case, it does not matter what I think, it's what the law says that matters.

And the law is really is not black and white, as that article explains. Do you agree the law is not black and white ? Because it is the law we should be discussing. Not what we think.

Ahh. It was not on my Bingo card that Trump would make this a religious war. I thought that would be Hegseth.

Unless you have evidence that the Kuwait desalination plant was somehow a military desalination plant - which no one else is suggesting - you are just arguing for the sake of it.

We either agree with the bombing of this site or consider it a potential war crime.

Thrashing this topic to death when the answer is clear is just boring now so I'll leave you to it.

Careful now - last time someone mentioned Bingo cards re predictable things people would say, it caused a huge amount of outrage on Mumsnet.

Maybe you're on safer grounds with the Iran war than the Gaza war but I don't know.

Has Trump ever read the ten commandments? Perhaps he skips over the "nots".

The pair of them are utterly demented.

They have been moving A10's to the ME this week which suggests they might be preparing for a ground invasion. They're both insane enough. I can't decide if Hegseth is purging dissenters in the military or they are resigning because they don't want to be associated with whatever is coming next.