Strikes have hit an Iranian desalination plant in the Strait of Hormuz, rendering it out of service, AFP quoted local media as saying on Tuesday. It was not immediately when the strikes took place.

On Monday, United States President Donald Trump said that the US military will “obliterate” all of Iran’s electricity plants, oil wells, the Kharg island and “possibly all” desalinisation plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by Tehran.

Trump reiterated that Washington was in “serious discussions with a new, and more reasonable, regime” to end the US’ military attacks on Iran.

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Here are more top updates from the conflict in West Asia:

  • A desalination plant on Iran’s Qeshm Island, located in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, was targeted by strikes, the ISNA news agency quoted a health ministry official, Mohsen Farhadi, as saying. He added that the facility is now completely out of service and cannot be repaired in the short term. 
  • Trump on Tuesday urged countries that did not support the US-Israeli strikes on Iran to buy American oil and go to the Strait of Hormuz to “just take it”. Trump singled out Britain and France as unhelpful in the month-long war, which has roiled global markets, driven up energy prices and seen Iran effectively close oil tanker traffic through the Strait, Reuters reported. He also criticised France for not allowing planes carrying military supplies to Israel to fly over its territory.
  • On Tuesday, Italy refused to allow a United States military aircraft to land at the Sigonella air base in Sicily before flying onwards to West Asia, Reuters quoted an unidentified source as saying. The permission was denied as the US had not sought authorisation and the Italian military leadership had not been consulted, the news agency quoted the newspaper Corriere della Sera as saying.
  • The report came a day after Spain closed its airspace to US planes involved in the war in West Asia. Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles on Monday described the conflict as “profoundly illegal and profoundly unjust”, AP reported. The US, Spain and Italy are all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a defence alliance in which countries cooperate on security and military operations.
  • The authorities in Dubai said on Tuesday that they have contained a fire onboard a Kuwaiti oil tanker at the city’s port. The vessel had caught fire after it was struck by a drone on Monday. All 24 crew members are safe, it said. While Al Jazeera quoted the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation as having warned that the incident could lead to an oil spill, the Dubai authorities said that there had been no leakage.
  • An Iranian parliamentary commission has approved plans to impose tolls on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, AFP quoted the state media as having reported on Monday.
  • The plan involves “financial arrangements and rial toll systems” and “implementing the sovereign role of Iran”, and cooperation with Oman on the other side of the strait, AFP quoted the state TV as having reported. It also prohibits US and Israeli vessels “from passing through”, as well as a ban on other countries that have imposed sanctions on Iran.
  • India on Monday condemned the attacks on United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon. New Delhi urged all parties to ensure the safety and security of the peacekeepers deployed under the UN Interim Force in Lebanon. It added that India had piloted the UN Security Council resolution 2,589 in 2021, which seeks accountability for crimes against peacekeepers.
  • The benchmark Brent crude was trading at $114 per barrel on Tuesday. The price was $78 per barrel on February 27, a day before the conflict started.
  • The average retail ​price of gasoline in the US crossed the $4 per gallon-mark for the first time in more than three years on Monday amid supply disruption caused by the conflict, Reuters reported citing data from price tracking service GasBuddy. Having increased more than a dollar since the war began, the current price point is a psychological barrier for consumers, Reuters quoted analysts as saying. One gallon is 3.7 litres.
  • Asia faces the gravest impact of the war in West Asia and is grappling with a major energy crisis, the head of a global maritime analytics firm told AFP. Jean Maynier, president of analytics firm Kpler, said that the continent does not have sufficient energy resources of its own to cover the shortfall.“It will not be enough in China, it will not be enough to cover in big countries like the Philippines or Indonesia,” AFP quoted Maynier as saying. “So it’s a real energy crisis.”

The conflict

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran’s action posed an existential threat to Israel. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Iran has retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region and targeting major cities in Gulf countries.

Tehran has also effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterbody connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, for most international commercial vessels, triggering a global energy crisis. About 20% of global petroleum supply passes through the maritime chokepoint.

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Israel has been claiming that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance. Tehran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.

Also read: Why the US military force won’t open the Strait of Hormuz