Since the US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, seawater desalination plants across multiple Gulf states have been caught in the crossfire.

Bahrain has said an Iranian drone attack caused material damage to a water desalination plant in the country. In a statement on X, Bahrain's Ministry of Interior said an Iranian drone attack on Sunday morning damaged the desalination plant, which processes seawater to supply freshwater to residents.

The attack on Sunday came a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in southern Iran was attacked by the United States.

"The US committed a blatant and desperate crime by attacking a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island," Araghchi said in a post on X on Saturday, adding that water supply in 30 villages has been impacted.

"Attacking Iran's infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences. The US set this precedent, not Iran," he said.

Previously, several desalination plants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait were also affected by the strikes.

On March 2, Iranian strikes on Dubai's Jebel Ali port landed some 12 miles from one of the world's largest desalination plants, which produces much of the city's drinking water.

Damage was also reported at the Fujairah F1 power and water complex in the UAE and at Kuwait's Doha West desalination plant. The damage at the two facilities appeared to have resulted from nearby port attacks or debris from intercepted drones.

According to reports by the Associated Press, Iran is one of the least desalination-dependent countries in the Gulf, with its drinking water relying mainly on surface water and groundwater.

Most of its neighbors, however, face severe freshwater shortages and heavily depend on desalination. In Kuwait, about 90% of drinking water comes from desalination, along with roughly 86% in Oman and about 70% in Saudi Arabia.

A previously released CIA analysis noted that more than 90% of the Gulf's desalinated drinking water comes from just 56 plants, and that these critical infrastructures are highly vulnerable to military action or sabotage. It added that attacks on any of these desalination facilities could trigger national crises in several Gulf states within days.

A US State Department document warned that if the desalination plant or its pipelines supplying Riyadh were severely damaged, residents of the Saudi capital would have to evacuate within a week.

(With input from agencies)