Meridiano

Add Article

No Image Available

Article Details

Title

Article: The war has put Middle East water supplies at risk.

Impact Score

- (Not Rated)

AI Summary (Processed Content)

Not Processed / Summarized Yet

Original URL

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/world/us-israel-iran-attack-maps/the-war-has-put-middle-east-water-supplies-at-risk

Source Feed

NYT > World News

Published Date

2026-03-14 18:16

Fetched Date

2026-03-14 16:00

Processed Date

N/A

Embedding Status

Not Generated

Cluster ID

Not Clustered

Raw Extracted Content

Iran War Maps: Tracking the Mideast Conflict
Maps show where U.S. and Israel have struck Iran, and where Iran has retaliated.
Major developments — March 14
Two weeks into the war in Iran, two water desalination plants in the region have been damaged in military operations, raising concerns over the vulnerability of a system that serves as a lifeline for millions across the Middle East.
Last week, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said an attack on a desalination plant on Qeshm Island, in the Persian Gulf, on March 7 had affected the water supply to 30 villages. While Iran blamed the United States for the attack, the Pentagon has denied responsibility, as has Israel.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe Israeli military and the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon continued to trade strikes on Friday, and the Trump administration said the United States was increasing the pace of its aerial attacks. All six crew members died in the crash of a U.S. aerial refueling tanker in Iraq, the military said, raising the number of American service members killed in the war to at least 13.
At least 1,940 people have been killed since the start of the war, most in Iran. More than 1,348 civilians there had been killed as of Wednesday, said Iran’s representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Major developments — March 13
Iran has strangled one of the world’s most critical shipping routes, the Strait of Hormuz, by threatening merchant ships and attacking tankers. Iran also has more than 5,000 naval mines in its arsenal, according to estimates by the Defense Intelligence Agency, and is beginning to deploy them, according to U.S. officials said.
The geography of the strait and the surrounding waters works to Iran’s advantage. A long southern coastline affords ample opportunity for small boats to dart out with mines. Tight shipping lanes leave little room to navigate. And the water at the strait’s narrowest point is only about 200 feet deep: shallow enough to lay minefields.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAt least 16 oil tankers, cargo and other commercial ships have been attacked in the Persian Gulf since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began nearly two weeks ago, a New York Times analysis shows. The International Energy Agency warned that the war had caused “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.”
Where ships have been attacked
The Israeli military heavily bombarded central Beirut on Thursday evening, saying it was targeting infrastructure belonging to the militant group Hezbollah. Iraq and Oman closed oil terminals after two tankers were attacked and left burning off Iraq’s coast; they are among at least 16 oil tankers and cargo ships that have been attacked in the Persian Gulf since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began nearly two weeks ago, a New York Times analysis shows.
Elsewhere, Qatar said on Thursday that it had stopped a missile attack, while Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed two drones that were heading toward the kingdom’s huge Shaybah oil field. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Major developments — March 12
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENTIraq and Oman closed oil terminals on Thursday after two tankers were attacked and left burning off Iraq’s coast. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed responsibility for the attack on one of the ships, saying in a statement cited by Iranian state media that the ship had “disobeyed and ignored” warnings.
Where ships have been struck since March 11
Iraq
Kuwait
Two tankers
attacked
Iran
Strait of
Hormuz
Persian Gulf
Cargo ship
attacked
Qatar
Gulf of Oman
Saudi
Arabia
U.A.E.
OMAN
Iraq
Two tankers
attacked
Kuwait
Iran
Strait of
Hormuz
Persian Gulf
Cargo ship
attacked
Qatar
Gulf of
Oman
U.A.E.
Saudi
Arabia
OMAN
At least four cargo ships were also hit in and around the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a monitoring group. They are among more than a dozen vessels operating across the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman that have reportedly been attacked since the war in the Middle East began on Feb. 28.
The International Energy Agency said on Thursday that the war has caused the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.”
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has forced the cancellation of tens of thousands of flights across the Middle East. In the days after the initial strikes, airlines that once relied on airspace over Iran and nearby countries have been scrambling to find alternatives.
The result is that planes burn more fuel as they travel longer distances with higher passenger fares — if passengers can fly at all.
Airspace restrictions have become an increasingly common challenge for airlines navigating a world shaped by geopolitical conflict. Flights must regularly avoid regions deemed unsafe for civilian aircraft, from conflict zones to areas where other military activity poses risks.
Effects from the conflict in the Middle East are rippling across the region, further fragmenting a once efficient and finely tuned global aviation network.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENTHeavy waves of airstrikes shook Beirut and Tehran on Wednesday. Three cargo ships came under attack in or near the Strait of Hormuz early in the day; Iran appeared to claim responsibility for one of the strikes. And President Trump told Axios the war would end soon because there was “practically nothing left to target.” But Mr. Trump has also said only Tehran’s “unconditional surrender” would end the war, and Iran has shown no sign of halting its attacks. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Major developments — March 11
Iran has responded to the U.S.-Israeli assault on the country by launching drones and missiles at American targets across the Middle East, hitting embassies, killing U.S. soldiers, and damaging military bases and air defense infrastructure.
The New York Times has identified at least 17 damaged U.S. sites and other installations, several of which have been struck more than once since the war began. Our analysis is based on high-resolution, commercial satellite imagery, verified social media videos and statements by U.S. officials and Iranian state media.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAt least three ships were hit on Wednesday in and around the vital oil route of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a British maritime monitoring group, as the Middle East war chokes off a crucial conduit for the global oil trade.
A Japanese container vessel owned by Mitsui, a large global shipping line, was among those hit, according to Kpler, a global ship tracking company. The other targeted ships, according to Kpler, were bulk carriers, or vessels designed to transport loose cargo like grain or iron ore.
“This increasingly points to a sustained pattern rather than isolated incidents,” said Dimitris Ampatzidis, a senior risk and compliance analyst at Kpler. “The pace of attacks does not suggest any intention to de-escalate.”
Only one of the bulk carriers, the Mayuree Naree from Thailand, appeared to be in the Strait of Hormuz when it was attacked, Mr. Ampatzidis said. The other vessels were in the Persian Gulf, according to shipping executives and ship tracking data.
Iran appeared to claim responsibility for the attack on the Mayuree Naree. Alireza Tangsiri, the naval commander in Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps, said in a post on social media that the vessel was struck because its crew had “ignored the warnings” from Iran and “ended up getting caught.”
He said that another ship had been targeted.
“Any vessel that intends to pass must obtain permission from #Iran,” Mr. Tangsiri said in his post.
The incidents came after the U.S. military said it struck 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, though it remained unclear whether any Iranian mines had actually been deployed there.
The attacks on shipping have given Iran leverage even as the country comes under heavy attack by the United States and Israel. By making the strait off-limits to most shipping, Iran has cut off a significant amount of oil and natural gas from world markets. This has pushed up oil prices, led to higher gasoline prices and forced countries to tap emergency oil reserves.
About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas is transported through the strait in normal times. President Trump said last week that he was considering a naval escort for commercial shipping in the strait and that a U.S. government agency was planning to offer affordable insurance to shipping companies sending their vessels through the waterway.
The Star Gwyneth, the other bulk carrier, was anchored in the Persian Gulf when it was hit, said Petros Pappas, chief executive of Star Bulk, the Greek company that owns of vessel. Mr. Pappas said that none of the crew were hurt and that the vessel was not seriously damaged. “We think it was an accident,” he said.
Efforts to reach representatives for Mitsui were not immediately successful. Reuters reported Wednesday that Mitsui had said that the attack on its container ship, the One Majesty, took place when it was at anchor in the Persian Gulf, and that the vessel was operational.
The British monitoring agency, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, said it had received reports of 13 attacks in total since the United States and Israel began its war with Iran on Feb. 28.
The Oman News Agency said the country’s Maritime Security Center received a report indicating that the Mayuree Naree was hit off the Omani coast.
“The targeting resulted in a fire breaking out in the main engine room,” the news agency said.
The ship’s stern was damaged while sailing, after it departed from the port of Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, according to a statement from the Thai foreign ministry. Oman’s navy rescued 20 of the ship’s 23 crew members, and efforts are underway to rescue the remaining three, the statement said.
Some vessels are going through the strait, but it is unclear how many, because those making the passage typically turn off devices that allow them to be tracked.
Sanam Mahoozi, Aaron Boxerman and Sui-Lee Wee contributed reporting.