Thousands of places targeted in Iran including hospitals and residential blocks amid war in the region
A woman sits outside her destroyed apartment after it was damaged by an airstrike while she was inside, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 12, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
Iran’s critical water and energy infrastructure have suffered extensive damage due to US and Israeli strikes, the country’s energy minister said on Sunday.
Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on February 28, killing the Islamic republic’s supreme leader and sparking a war that has since spread across the Middle East.
“The country’s vital water and electricity infrastructure has suffered heavy damage following terrorist and cyber attacks by the United States and the Zionist regime,” said energy minister Abbas Aliabadi, according to ISNA news agency.
“The attacks targeted dozens of water transmission and treatment facilities and destroyed parts of critical water supply networks,” he noted, adding that efforts were underway to repair the damage.
Read More: Iran’s president says immediate cessation of US-Israeli aggression needed to end war
Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran’s power plants if it failed to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
Traffic through the vital strait – through which 20 percent of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes – has been brought to a near-standstill since the start of the war.
Iranian forces have attacked multiple vessels, saying they failed to heed “warnings” against transiting the waterway.
In recent days, Iran has allowed some vessels from countries it considers friendly to pass, while warning it would block ships from countries it says have joined the “aggression” against it.
In response to Trump, Iran threatened to target energy infrastructure and desalination plants across the region.
On Feb 28, 2026, US and Israel preemptively attack on Iran. Iran fired drones and missiles on Isreal and US military basis and installations in UAE, Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries.
Tehran also disrupted oil tankers at the Strait of Hormuz, an energy artery responsible for 20 per cent oil and gas flow from Gulf to other parts of the world.
The closure of Hormuz causing a near standstill in commercial shipping and a surge in energy prices worldwide. It has also signalled plans to impose tolls or restrictions on vessels transiting the strait, leveraging its strategic position amid the conflict.
The disruption has heightened fears of a prolonged energy shock and broader regional instability, with global powers weighing military and diplomatic options to restore access to the key waterway.
