UAE Denies Israeli Media Claims of Strike on Iranian Desalination Plant

Desalination plant infrastructure along the Persian Gulf coast

The United Arab Emirates has denied Israeli media reports claiming Abu Dhabi was responsible for an air strike on a desalination facility in Iran, as tensions continue to escalate in the Gulf region.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (United Arab Emirates) said the country was acting “in a state of defence” amid growing regional tensions but did not seek to be drawn into further escalation. The statement followed reports in several Israeli media outlets citing unnamed sources who alleged the UAE had carried out an attack on an Iranian desalination plant. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that a freshwater desalination facility on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz had been bombed by the United States, disrupting water supplies to roughly 30 villages. Both the United States and Israel denied involvement in the strike.

Emirati officials were quick to reject suggestions that Abu Dhabi played any role in the incident after Israeli media briefings hinted at possible Emirati participation. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, a member of the UAE’s Federal National Council (United Arab Emirates) and chairman of its Defence Affairs, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee, dismissed the claims on the social media platform X. He described the reports as “fake news,” adding: “When we do something, we have the courage to announce it.”

A senior Emirati official also told The Jerusalem Post that Abu Dhabi was concerned about the nature of Israeli briefings that appeared to implicate the UAE.

“We are struggling to understand Israeli conduct and the nature of the briefings coming out,” the official said, accusing Israeli sources of spreading unverified claims. “It is not appropriate for what is described as a ‘senior Israeli source’ to speak on our behalf or spread rumours about the actions of another sovereign state.”

Similar reports have circulated since the conflict between Israel and Iran intensified last week, with some later proven to be inaccurate. Earlier claims that Qatar had launched strikes inside Iran were swiftly denied by Doha.

Meanwhile, Israeli media have also reported that Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, could carry out military strikes against Iran, though no such actions have been confirmed. Iran has been launching attacks it describes as targeting US bases and assets in Gulf states since the conflict began, prompting governments across the region to condemn the strikes as violations of their sovereignty. The reported attack on the desalination facility has also raised concerns about the vulnerability of water infrastructure in the Gulf.

The region hosts more than 400 desalination plants, which together account for roughly 60 percent of the world’s desalination capacity. Countries in the Gulf rely heavily on these facilities for drinking water. Around 90 percent of potable water in the UAE comes from desalination plants, while a similar dependence exists in Kuwait and Oman. In Saudi Arabia, desalinated water supplies roughly 70 percent of drinking needs.

The reported strike occurred the same day Israeli air strikes targeted fuel storage facilities in Tehran, triggering large fires and intensifying concerns that critical infrastructure could become a focal point as the conflict deepens.

UAE denies Iran desalination strike; Qeshm Island desalination plant strike