Brooke Sample, Columnist

In the Iran War, Water Could Decide the Middle East’s Fate

The vulnerability of the region’s desalination plants has turned a human need into a hot geopolitical commodity.

March 7, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC

Brooke Sample is an editor for Bloomberg Opinion and member of the editorial board. She was previously an editor at Metal Bulletin, Bauer Media Group and the Virginian-Pilot.

You can't drink oil.
Photographer: Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images

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