Kuwait came under attack on Monday as the US and Iran traded strikes, underscoring the fragility of efforts to extend a ceasefire and negotiate an end to the three-month-long war.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it struck a US base after the American military said it hit two command-and-control sites in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Kuwaiti military said its air defence systems intercepted “hostile missiles and drones” on Monday morning.
The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Army said the explosions were caused by air defences engaging projectiles. There was no immediate confirmation of their origin, nor any confirmed reports of casualties or damage.
The US military said on Monday it intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting US forces in Kuwait at 7am Gulf Standard Time.
“These missiles were immediately defeated and no American personnel were harmed,” US Central Command (Centcom) said. “US Central Command remains vigilant and will continue to protect our forces from Iranian aggression while supporting the continuing ceasefire.”
Kuwait hosts US forces at several installations, including Camp Arifjan and Ali Al Salem Air Base, which form part of long-standing US-Gulf security arrangements, although it was not immediately clear which site – if any – was targeted in Monday’s attack.
The attack disrupted civilian aviation, with flight-tracking services showing multiple aircraft being diverted from Kuwait International Airport. Some inbound flights were placed in holding patterns over the Gulf before being rerouted.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) have denounced the attack.
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, condemned what he described as persistent Iranian attacks against Kuwait, saying the escalation undermines efforts to promote security and stability in the region.
In a post on social media, Dr Gargash said the attacks violated Kuwait's sovereignty and international law at a time when regional countries were working to move beyond conflicts and crises.
“We stand with our sister nation, Kuwait, wholeheartedly,” he said. “Its security is our security.” He said the attacks represented a direct threat to regional stability.
GCC Secretary General Jasem Al Budaiwi said Iran's attacks on Kuwait were “a dangerous and unacceptable escalation”, while Saudi Arabia stressed its full support for any measures Kuwait takes to preserve its sovereignty and security.
Kuwait was also targeted last Thursday when its air defences responded to missile and drone strikes following US operations against Iranian drones.
The country was already on high alert after prosecutors referred suspected IRGC members to court over an alleged armed infiltration attempt on Bubiyan Island. That case involved arrests after an attempted boat landing and allegations of an attack on a restricted military zone.
At the time, 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 latest attack appeared to be in retaliation for what the US military described as “self-defence strikes” carried out over the weekend against two Iranian command-and-control sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military said the strikes followed the downing of an MQ-1 drone operating over international waters. Centcom said American fighter aircraft destroyed Iranian air defences, a ground control station and two one-way attack drones that it said posed threats to shipping in regional waters.
No US personnel were harmed, Centcom said, framing the operation as necessary to protect forces and maritime traffic.
In response, the IRGC said its air force struck and destroyed an airbase it said had been used by the US to launch an attack on a communications tower in the Sirik area near the strait.
In a statement carried by Mehr news agency, the IRGC said “all predetermined targets were destroyed”. It said any repetition would trigger a response “completely different in scale and nature”, placing full responsibility for escalation on Washington.
Kuwait’s earlier warnings of cross-border attacks, including claims of projectiles launched by Iran-linked forces and the detention of alleged IRGC members on its territory, have heightened concerns that the conflict is no longer confined to direct US-Iran flashpoints.
With air defences activated, flights diverted and rival militaries trading claims of successful strikes, the situation raises the prospect of the conflict widening across the Gulf.
The Gulf emirate's Foreign Ministry condemned Iran’s latest attacks, calling them “a dangerous escalation and a direct assault on the security and stability of the State of Kuwait”. It said the strikes violated international law, threatened civilians and critical infrastructure and warned Kuwait reserves the right to take all necessary measures to defend its security and territory.
The Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for one-fifth of global energy shipments in times of peace, is a chokepoint in the war that began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran and has since spread across the Middle East.
One of the countries most affected is Lebanon, which was drawn in after the Hezbollah militant group joined the fighting in support of its main backer, Iran, and attacked Israel.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Despite a ceasefire having been in place for more than six weeks, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade fire, and on Sunday, the Israeli military seized the strategic Beaufort Castle in its deepest ground advance into Lebanon in 26 years.
On Monday morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said they had ordered the Israeli army to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahieh.
Following Monday's flare-up in the Gulf, oil prices rose more than three per cent, as investors awaited US President Donald Trump’s decision on a proposed deal to extend the ceasefire in place with Iran since April 8.
In Tehran, meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said a lack of trust, shifting US positions and Israel’s continuing actions in Lebanon were contributing to delays in the diplomatic process.
“We emphasised and continue to emphasise the point that the ceasefire in Lebanon is an integral part of any ceasefire and any final agreement to end the war,” Mr Baghaei said.
