The United States and Iran engaged in some of the most intense fighting since a temporary ceasefire was brokered by Pakistan on April 8. The US reportedly struck Iranian water infrastructure, including two reservoirs, marking a significant escalation.

The US military claimed it targeted communications and radar facilities, but Iranian officials reported damage to civilian infrastructure, including two water reservoirs in Sirik County, Hormozgan Province. This is the first reported strike on civilian infrastructure in Iran in weeks.

The attacks began late Tuesday after a US Apache helicopter was shot down near the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump blamed Iran, calling the strikes a "proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression."

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the strikes hit targets in Sirik, Jask, Minab, Qeshm Island, and Bandar Abbas, destroying a telecommunications tower and two water reservoirs. Initial damage estimates range from $780,000 to $830,000.

Isa Bozorgzadeh, spokesman for Iran's water industry, claimed the strike on water reservoirs constitutes a war crime. International humanitarian law protects water infrastructure as civilian property.

Iran is already suffering from a multi-year drought and severe water scarcity. According to the World Resources Institute, Iran's baseline water stress is classified as "extremely high," using over 80% of its renewable water resources annually.

Source: www.aljazeera.com