Energy conflict
Trump's Hormuz Ultimatum and Cease-Fire Rejection Deepen South Pars Conflict's Water and Energy Toll
One week after Israel's strike on Iran's South Pars gas field sparked retaliatory attacks on Gulf energy facilities, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran rejected a cease-fire offer on March 25. The escalating conflict is crippling water security, with strikes damaging desalination plants vital to Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.