Attacks on civilian infrastructure by any side of the conflict would likely constitute a war crime under international law, experts have told CNN.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to target Iranian power facilities and potentially desalination plants if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Launching a concerted attack on desalination plants would be “a provocative escalation,” said David Michel, senior fellow for water security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
If attacks on desalination plants are “the beginning of a military policy and not just mistakes or collateral damage, this is both illegal – a war crime – and a very concerning development, as (Gulf) countries have only a few weeks of water storage,” said Laurent Lambert, an associate professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, in Qatar.
Amnesty International has said that the potential for “vast, predictable and devastating civilian harm” caused by strikes on energy infrastructure means such attacks “carry a substantial risk of violating international humanitarian law.”
The White House said Monday the US military would always act in accordance with the law.