With a deadline set by Donald Trump fast approaching, tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified, as Iran warned it could strike critical energy and water infrastructure across the Gulf if the United States follows through on threats to target its electricity grid. The warning has heightened concerns of widespread disruption in a region heavily dependent on desalination for drinking water and electricity for basic survival.Reuters reported that Donald Trump has set a Monday deadline of around 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT), stating the U.S. would attack Iran's power plants unless Tehran fully reopens the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. The ultimatum came less than a day after he suggested Washington might consider de-escalating the conflict, even as U.S. Marines and heavy landing craft moved toward the region.ALSO READ: US-Israel-Iran War Live News Updates: PM Modi To Addresss Middle East CrisisIran responded with defiance.“If Iran's fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked by the enemy, all energy infrastructure, as well as information technology...and water desalination facilities, belonging to the U.S. and the regime in the region will be targeted pursuant to previous warnings,” Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari said, according to state media.Meanwhile, air raid sirens sounded across parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv, and the occupied West Bank overnight, warning of incoming missiles from Iran. The Israeli military said early Monday it had launched a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure in Tehran.The threat of reciprocal strikes on civilian infrastructure has unsettled global oil markets, with prices opening volatile in Asian trading.In a subsequent statement, Iran's Revolutionary Guards appeared to walk back earlier suggestions of targeting desalination plants, dismissing U.S. claims as “lying.”“The lying … U.S. President has claimed that the Revolutionary Guards intends to attack the water desalination plants and cause hardship to the people of the countries in the region,” Reuters citing the statement said.However, the Guards reiterated a warning of proportional retaliation if Iran's electricity sector is struck.“We are determined to respond to any threat at the same level as it creates in terms of deterrence … If you hit electricity, we hit electricity.”While attacks on Iran's power grid could inflict damage domestically, the consequences for Gulf nations could be far more severe. Electricity is critical to sustaining life in the region's desert climate, particularly for powering desalination plants that supply the bulk of drinking water.ALSO READ: Iran Says Strait of Hormuz Not Closed, Warns US Against 'Delirious Threats'According to a report by Reuters, countries such as Bahrain and Qatar rely entirely on desalinated water, while the United Arab Emirates meets more than 80% of its drinking water needs through desalination. Saudi Arabia sources roughly half its water supply from the process, according to official data.Collectively, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE account for around one-third of global desalinated water production—underscoring the potentially catastrophic impact of any disruption to energy infrastructure in the region.