The US State Department said on Friday it had given its approval to the sale of counter-unmanned aerial systems platforms and related equipment to Kuwait, one of the Gulf countries hit by Iranian strikes during the Middle East war.
The estimated total cost is $1.98 billion, according to a statement by the US State Department. Its approval is one of several tiers required when the US sells weapons to allies abroad.
The principal contractor for the sale is Anduril, it said. The company was founded by a supporter of US President Donald Trump.
"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major non-Nato ally that has been an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the statement said.
"The proposed sale will improve Kuwait’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing electronic and kinetic defeat capabilities against unmanned aerial systems.”
The State Department added that the possible sale and associated support "will not alter the basic military balance in the region”.
All six Gulf states have borne the effects of Iran’s retaliatory campaign following US and Israeli air strikes on Tehran in February.
Late on Friday, Iran launched seven ballistic missiles towards Kuwait and Bahrain, US forces said.
The strikes on the Gulf states came hours after US Central Command reported that four Iranian "one-way attack” drones had been shot down and that the US had struck coastal sites in Iran.
In a statement posted to X, US Central Command said it intercepted six of the missiles Iran launched at Kuwait and Bahrain, while the seventh "did not reach its intended target”.
Iran said the attacks against "enemy bases” in the region were in response to US military aggression against the Iranian city of Sirik and Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
This week, Kuwait officials "condemned Iranian aggression” when a drone strike hit its international airport.
A total of 30 Shahed-136 drones and missiles were aimed at Kuwait on Wednesday, with at least one drone getting through defences. It struck a terminal at Kuwait International Airport, causing a large explosion. One Indian was killed and 63 people were injured.
Tehran denied involvement in the attack, saying it was "an error in the American Patriot systems”, referring to a US anti-missile battery.
The attacks came despite the April 8 ceasefire that paused the war sparked by the February 28 US-Israeli bombing of Iran, and has largely held despite sporadic exchanges of fire.
