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Iran War’s Most Precious Commodity Isn’t Oil
Gulf states rely on desalinated water for drinking, serving about 100 million people, but plants are vulnerable and require oil and gas to operate, CIA says.
- The CIA calls desalinated water the 'strategic commodity' of the Middle East, with Operation Epic Fury as the largest test amid regional tensions.
- Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE rely almost entirely on desalination technology for metropolises like Dubai, while Saudi Arabia and its capital Riyadh also depend heavily on it.
- About 100 million people live in the GCC countries, where desalination plants are vulnerable and require oil and gas to fire power generators.
- Attacks on desalination infrastructure threaten urban water supplies and strain energy systems that sustain them, while disruption could imperil municipal services and public health in major metropolises.
- The CIA calls desalinated water the 'strategic commodity', with Operation Epic Fury highlighting its importance amid threats to GCC populations, shifting regional security focus from hydrocarbons.
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22 Articles
22 Articles
Javier Blas: The Iran war’s most precious commodity isn’t oil
The CIA calls it the “strategic commodity” of the Middle East. But it’s not referring to oil or natural gas. What the American spy agency has in mind is far more prosaic: drinking water. Don’t underestimate it, though, because if…
·Nebraska, United States
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Total News Sources22
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center19Last UpdatedBias Distribution86% Center
Bias Distribution
- 86% of the sources are Center
86% Center
C 86%
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