Kaja Kallas in diplomatic marathon: saving the Strait of Hormuz and containing the new water war

The EU High Representative Kaja Kallas has today launched a new frantic diplomatic marathon in the Mediterranean and the Gulf, holding separate talks with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Qatar, South Korea, and with Iranian colleague Abbas Araghchi, as the West fears an uncontrolled escalation in the Middle Eastern conflict. The topics at the center of the consultations were the war in the Middle East, attacks on energy infrastructure, and, above all, the urgency of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital junction for the transit of oil and gas to global markets.

EU sources explained that "these talks are part of the EU's ongoing efforts to explore diplomatic avenues to move forward," emphasizing how the threat of new attacks on critical civilian infrastructure risks affecting millions of people across the Middle East and beyond. In this context, Araghchi's message was clear: "The Strait of Hormuz is not closed," he wrote on X, reiterating that "ships hesitate because insurance companies fear the war that you, the United States and Israel, have started, not Iran."

The Iranian minister also added that "no insurance company, and no Iranian, will be intimidated by further threats," explicitly recalling the link between freedom of navigation and freedom of trade: "Freedom of navigation cannot exist without freedom of trade. Both must be respected, otherwise neither can be expected."

Macron, Saudi Arabia, and the new air defense front

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, reaffirming "France's solidarity and our commitment to contributing to the air defense of Saudi territory, as the country is subject to repeated and unacceptable missile and Iranian drone attacks." Macron emphasized that "in the face of the risk of uncontrolled escalation, it is more essential than ever that all warring parties agree to establish a moratorium on energy and civilian infrastructure and that Iran restore freedom of movement in the Strait of Hormuz."

For the French president, "the time for responsibility and moderation has come, in order to create the conditions for the resumption of dialogue, the only way to ensure peace and security for all." In this context, the G7 and the Gulf Cooperation Council should intensify coordination, with France and Saudi Arabia already declaring their commitment to this strategic line.

Water, desalination, and the new front of war

While the world looks at energy infrastructure, a new and even more delicate front is emerging: water. Attacks on water resources are rare in wartime, but in the Middle Eastern conflict, they have taken center stage with attacks on seawater desalination plants, a vital sector for millions of people in the region.

After the ultimatum from Donald Trump, who threatened to destroy Iranian power plants if Tehran did not quickly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has raised the stakes. Its current target is the desalination plants in the region. "Anyone who dares to attack water will unleash a war far greater than the one we are experiencing today," warned economist Esther Crauser-Delbourg, interviewed by Afp.

Iran, Bahrain, and the cycle of reprisals

In Iran, the government reports significant damage to water management infrastructure following U.S. and Israeli attacks. Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi specified that dozens of water transmission and treatment plants have been targeted, with parts of critical supply networks destroyed.

The same pattern of reprisal has repeated in Bahrain, where a seawater desalination plant was damaged on March 8 by a drone attack launched from Tehran, in response to a raid attributed to the United States against an Iranian facility. In one of the driest regions of the world, where water availability is ten times lower than the global average according to the World Bank, desalination plants play a vital role in the economy and in providing drinking water for millions of inhabitants.

The strategic geography of desalinated water

According to a study published in the journal Nature, about 42% of the world's desalination capacity is located in the Middle East. A 2022 report from the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) details how in the United Arab Emirates, 42% of drinking water comes from these plants, 90% in Kuwait, 86% in Oman, and 70% in Saudi Arabia.

“There, without desalinated water, there is nothing,” emphasized Crauser-Delbourg, highlighting the centrality of the resource especially in large metropolitan areas like Dubai and Riyadh. Although desalination will produce about 10% of the world's drinking water by 2030, it remains an expensive solution vulnerable to attacks, prompting experts to define the water war as a new scenario of strategic conflict.