Bubiyan in Kuwait is the Arabian Gulf's second largest island and home to some of the Gulf nation's most sensitive military and industrial installations, including Mubarak Al Kabeer port, which is scheduled to be fully operational at the end of the year.
On Monday, Kuwait accused Iran of sending four people linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to infiltrate the Gulf state through Bubiyan Island and carry out some kind of attack.
The Ministry of Interior said the suspects admitted to being members of the IRGC and to infiltrating Bubiyan Island aboard a rented fishing boat to carry out “hostile acts” against Kuwait, the official Kuna news agency said.
As it also hosts a US Marine contingent, Bubiyan is a potential flashpoint in the US-Iran conflict.
The island's new port is part of Kuwait's Vision 2035 and China's Belt and Road Initiative, making it significant to international trade networks as it would have greater capacity for shipping and higher cargo volumes than Kuwait's other ports once it is operational.
The port will also strengthen Kuwait's role as a primary shipping hub and allow easier access to the Red Sea and broader access to the Arabian Gulf.
China's ties to Bubiyan island also came into focus after Kuwait's announcement, particularly before a trip by US President Donald Trump to Beijing on Thursday.
The thwarted Iranian attack also took place after Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Beijing a “close friend” of Tehran during a visit last week.
The port's proximity to Iraq's Faw port on the Gulf of Basra was momentarily a point of tension between the two nations until they reached an agreement on maritime navigation. However, Mubarak Al Kabeer port is designed to be economically beneficial for both Kuwait and Iraq.
But, Iraq itself has been sandwiched between the US and Iran politically and militarily, further turning Bubiyan Island into a hotspot.
For Tehran or actors linked to it, Bubiyan would represent a high-value pressure point: close to US military assets, critical to Kuwait’s economic ambitions, and increasingly tied to Chinese trade interests.
That makes the island a rare place where military, economic, and geopolitical tensions overlap and helps explain why Kuwaiti authorities believe it may have been targeted.
