Attack on Iran's nuclear sites would contaminate Persian Gulf, Qatar warns

Qatar's prime minister has warned that an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would contaminate the waters of the Persian Gulf, threatening life in Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Sunday that an attack on Iran's nuclear sites would leave the Persian Gulf with "no water, no fish, nothing ... no life".

He specifically mentioned his country, Kuwait and the UAE, and said some of Iran's nuclear sites were closer to Doha than they were to Tehran. Iran's only operating nuclear power plant is on the Persian Gulf coast at Bushehr.

Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait are three desert states, facing Iran on the opposite side of the Persian Gulf, with minimal natural water reserves and more than 18 million people whose only supply of potable water being desalinated water drawn from the Persian Gulf.

Israel has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites but on Friday, US President Donald Trump said he had written to Iran warning it to open negotiations or face a military attack.