US strike on Iran desalination plant leaves 10,000 without water, Iranian official says

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A U.S. strike on a water desalination plant in Iran's southeastern coastal village of Bunji has disrupted drinking water supplies to about 10,000 people across 20 villages, an Iranian provincial official said Saturday.

The attack on the facility in Hormozgan province "completely disrupted the supply of drinking water to 20 villages with a population of about 10,000 people," the chief executive of the Hormozgan Water and Wastewater Company said, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency.

"The villages are facing a water shortage crisis," the official said.

The United States has not immediately commented on the reported strike or Iran's claims.

The incident comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate, with both sides exchanging military strikes in recent days.

The renewed hostilities have unfolded despite a memorandum of understanding brokered by Pakistan in June that aimed to end the conflict and pave the way for a lasting peace agreement.

GAROWE ONLINE