One person was killed in an Iranian attack on Kuwait's airport on Wednesday, with dozens more injured in one of the Gulf's worst days of casualties of the war.
Iranian drones struck the passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and causing significant damage to vital facilities, Kuwait's Foreign Ministry said. The strike came at the end of a night of attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain and Gulf shipping lanes.
Kuwait's army said air defences dealt with 13 ballistic missiles and 17 drones that entered the country's airspace. Military spokesman Col Saud Abdulaziz Al Atwan said the missiles were intercepted over several residential areas, with debris falling in some locations.
India's embassy in Kuwait said one of its citizens was killed in the attack on the airport. Kuwait's Health Ministry said at least 63 people were wounded, with seven requiring major surgery.
Kuwait ordered two Iranian diplomats to leave the country as it condemned "brutal and ongoing Iranian attacks" on civilian infrastructure in the state, the latest of which hit the airport south of Kuwait City. The attack also caused significant damage, including to diplomatic missions. Kuwait's Defence Minister, Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah, visited some of the injured as they received treatment.
Kuwait's foreign ministry said compromising the country's security, sovereignty and the safety of its citizens and residents was “a red line”. Repeated Iranian attacks on its territory demonstrate an “aggressive approach, which the State of Kuwait will neither accept nor tolerate”, it said.
The ministry summoned the chargé d'affaires at the Iranian embassy to formally protest the attacks and inform him of its decision to reduce the mission's staff, with two members declared persona non grata and ordered to leave Kuwait within 24 hours.
The drone strike is a serious escalation and underscores the fragility of the US-Iran ceasefire in place since April 8.
Defence Ministry spokesman Brig Gen Saud Al Otaibi said the strike had damaged the passenger building and disrupted airport operations. The Public Authority for Civil Aviation said flights were suspended after the attack, with some diverted to other airports, state news agency Kuna reported.
The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces described the attack as “criminal Iranian aggression”, saying the drones were part of a co-ordinated hostile operation. It said it was prepared to respond to any further escalation and would take all necessary measures to protect Kuwait's sovereignty and critical infrastructure as investigations continue.
The UAE strongly condemned the Iranian attacks on Kuwait, calling them acts of terrorism. It warned that such actions represent a dangerous escalation and pose a threat to regional security and stability.
Kuwait has emerged as a flashpoint in the wider regional war after coming under attack from Iran on Monday and last week in retaliation for US strikes.
Iran vowed on Wednesday to use “all available capacities” to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty, including by targeting the source of attacks on the country, after accusing the US of striking an Iranian tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and a telecoms mast on Qeshm Island.
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the alleged attacks, describing them as a violation of an April 8 ceasefire agreement and a breach of international law and the UN Charter.
The ministry also accused Washington of using the territory of Middle East countries to carry out military operations against Iran. It said the governments of Kuwait and Bahrain bear “direct and clear responsibility” for the latest incidents.
Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iran's supreme leader and former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned Tehran will respond to any US aggression with a “barrage of missiles and drones”.
The war, which began on February 28 with Israeli and US strikes across Iran, has since evolved into a broader regional conflict, with Tehran launching missile and drone attacks on Gulf Arab states and Hezbollah drawing Lebanon into the fighting through cross-border exchanges with Israel and subsequent Israeli retaliation.
Kuwait hosts US forces at key installations, including Camp Arifjan and Ali Al Salem Air Base, placing it at the centre of regional retaliation targets.
Bahrain's Ministry of Defence said it responded to an Iranian attack early on Wednesday involving drones and three missiles. The ministry said Iran “continues its systematic hostile approach through heinous attacks”.
It did not mention any casualties but indicated the civilian infrastructure had been targeted.
Meanwhile, authorities in Kuwait said explosions heard overnight were from interception operations, as air-defence systems engaged incoming projectiles.
The US military's Central Command said all the Iranian attacks had failed to reach their targets.
Iran's attempt to attack US forces in Kuwait “failed to impact intended targets”, Centcom said on X. “US Central Command air defences successfully downed multiple drones and ensured no American personnel or assets were harmed.”
Flight-tracking data showed aircraft briefly holding over the Gulf before normal operations resumed, while several flights at Dubai International Airport were cancelled amid regional disruption.
The IRGC gave a different account of Wednesday's escalation. It said the confrontation began after an Iranian oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a US projectile, damaging its engine room.
In a post on its Telegram channel, the IRGC said it responded by attacking what it described as an “American-Zionist” vessel, and later carried out missile and drone strikes on US-linked bases and sites in the region after American forces struck IRGC communications infrastructure on Qeshm Island.
It said all “predetermined targets were destroyed” and warned that any further action would be met with a response “completely different in scale and nature”.
On Monday, the US military said it intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles aimed at American forces in Kuwait. That attack also disrupted civilian aviation, with several aircraft diverted and some inbound flights placed in holding patterns over the Gulf before being rerouted. Last Thursday, Kuwait was again attacked with missiles and drones following US operations against Iran.
Kuwait was already on high alert after prosecutors referred suspected IRGC members to court over an alleged armed infiltration attempt on Bubiyan Island. The case involves an attempted boat landing and allegations of an attack on a restricted military zone.
Tehran said the Iranians had been unjustly arrested and had strayed into the waters due to a navigation error. On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry demanded consular access to the four suspects.
The exchange of fire places further strain on already fragile ceasefire talks between Tehran and Washington, which have stalled in recent weeks amid disputes over Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief.
