David Sacks, who serves as the White House’s specialist on AI and cryptocurrency, has issued a stark warning regarding the ongoing conflict involving Iran. During an appearance on the All In podcast, Sacks emphasized the urgent need for a diplomatic resolution, suggesting that finding an “off-ramp” is crucial. He raised the alarm about the potential destruction of vital oil and gas infrastructures across the Middle East by Iran, but expressed even greater concern over the possibility of Iran targeting desalination plants. These plants are essential for providing water to the region, and their disruption could trigger a significant humanitarian crisis.

While Sacks has not traditionally been known for his humanitarian focus, he has a notable history of opposing military intervention. This stance was evident when he publicly suggested at the Republican National Convention that the U.S. “provoked” Russia into its actions in Ukraine.

Despite his previous stint in the Trump administration, Sacks remains active in the private sector. He notes that withdrawing from prolonged conflicts aligns with market preferences, indicating his financial interests in maintaining global stability.

The ongoing conflict poses a direct threat to the AI sector, an area under Sacks’s purview at the White House. Recent Iranian drone attacks have forced QatarEnergy to halt its production of liquefied natural gas and helium. According to Bloomberg, QatarEnergy supplies about a third of the world’s helium, a crucial component for electronics and semiconductor manufacturing. Economist Andreas Steno Larsen highlighted to Yahoo! Finance the potential for this disruption to create a bottleneck in the AI industry’s supply chain.