US Strikes Destroy Water Supply for 20,000 in Southern Iran
Iranian officials confirm US missiles destroyed two reservoirs in Sirik County, cutting drinking water to Kuhestak and some 10 villages amid broader strikes on Hormozgan Province.
U.S. missile strikes on southern Iran early Wednesday destroyed two drinking water reservoirs serving roughly 20,000 residents in Sirik County, cutting off water supply to the town of Kuhestak and approximately ten surrounding villages, Iranian officials confirmed.
Abdolhamid Hamzehpour, managing director of the Hormozgan Water and Wastewater Company, said the two reservoirs, one with a capacity of 500 cubic meters and another of 2,000 cubic meters, were completely destroyed in the early-morning strike on the Bamani district of Sirik. Hamzehpour said mechanical facilities associated with the reservoirs were also destroyed, with estimated damages reaching 140–150 billion tomans. Emergency crews have been dispatched to restore water access through alternative means.
Iran's consulate in Mumbai warned that the strikes had cut off drinking water for local residents, calling the targeting of civilian water infrastructure a matter of "serious humanitarian concern."
The IRGC said the U.S. strikes also damaged a communications tower in Sirik, according to Tasnim News. CNN said it has reached out to U.S. Central Command for a response.
The water infrastructure strike came amid a broader wave of U.S. military operations across Hormozgan Province. CENTCOM described the strikes, which hit Qeshm Island, Sirik, Jask, and Kuh-e Mobarak, as a "proportional response" to Iranian aggression, following the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. Both crew members were rescued safely, although one rport indicates that one of them was moderately injured during the shootdown.
President Trump, in an interview with ABC News, described the strikes as a "strong and powerful" reaction to the helicopter incident.
Iran denied the characterization, calling the strikes unprovoked attacks on civilian infrastructure. Tehran has accused U.S. and Israeli forces of repeatedly targeting water and desalination facilities throughout the 2026 conflict, compounding an already severe national water crisis.
Under the Geneva Conventions, water infrastructure essential to civilian survival is classified as a protected object. The U.S. has not publicly addressed the water facility damage.