US revenge strikes leave 20k Iranians without water in deadly heat

The US launched revenge-strikes after an Iranian drone knocked out an Apache helicopter on 9 June. The US hit two reservoirs in southern Iran, leaving tens of thousands without drinking water in 40-degree heat. The Geneva Convention insists military forces must distinguish between civilian and military infrastructure.

The attack was reported as a footnote by legacy media. NBC said:

Around 20,000 Iranians have lost access to drinking water after two reservoirs were reportedly struck in U.S. strikes, according to the Iranian judiciary’s official news agency, Mizan.

The news agency reported the development after Abdolhamid Hamzehpour, CEO of Hormozgan Province Water and Wastewater Co., said two concrete water storage reservoirs had been hit in Sirik county.

NBC cited the Mizan news agency saying:

that with high temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit, conditions for residents had “become extremely difficult and critical.”

Adding:

Hamzehpour had earlier told state-run IRIB news agency that teams were working to implement alternative measures to ensure access to drinking water.

US strikes for revenge, pure and simple

The latest wave of strikes were in response to the shooting down of a US Apache helicopter on 9 June. The Canary reported:

The US military had originally claimed that a technical fault caused the crash. The helicopter’s crew survived and was picked up from the sea.

Adding:

The ‘Longbow’ variant of the apache is set up for surveillance and for support of special forces. Former US special forces officer, Lt Col Antony Aguilar, described it as hard to shoot down and said that similar aircraft had been used a week earlier to attack Iranian civilian vessels.

In a move typical of the US president:

Trump attacked Iran for successfully defending itself and has described the escalated aggression as “defensive”.

US-Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. Iran was offering unprecedented concessions in negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has since stated there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there is no evidence Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.

The US has achieved none of its original war aims. Iran predictably closed the Straits of Hormuz, a vital oil channel, once attacked — creating a global energy crisis. Far from being defeated, Iran has said the war will continue until “the enemy’s inevitable and permanent humiliation, disgrace, regret, and surrender”. Trump came to power on an anti-war ‘America First’ ticket. He now faces worldwide humiliation.

As Trump flails, seeking an exit from his war of choice, Iranian civilians continue to suffer. The US reservoir strikes may constitute a war crime. The US and Israel have operated with impunity carrying out hundreds — if not thousands — of other near-daily attacks on civilians. A decaying empire is a dangerous thing, as the people of the region know only too well.

Featured image via U.S. Navy via Getty Images