US strike on Iranian desalination plant cuts water for 10,000 amid war-crime warnings

On July 18, 2026, U.S. forces carried out large-scale retaliatory airstrikes against Iran after an Iranian missile-and-drone attack killed two American service members and left one missing at a base in Jordan the previous day. The strikes damaged a desalination plant in the village of Bonji, Hormozgan province, cutting drinking-water access for roughly 10,000 residents across nearly two dozen villages during an extreme-heat warning. Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, said targeting the facility "is a war crime" because it was "not a legitimate military target," and Iran's foreign ministry said the strikes eroded "America's moral standing." The strike converted into action threats Trump had made in March and again on July 9, 2026 to destroy Iran's desalination infrastructure. Asked by NewsNation about Iran's announcement that it was abandoning the ceasefire memorandum of understanding, Trump said, "I couldn't care less," and separately called the two service members' deaths "a very sad thing" while vowing the campaign would continue.

“I couldn't care less.” Quote verified against source