A drone strike on Kuwait's international airport killed one person and wounded 63 others, marking the deadliest attack on a Gulf nation since a ceasefire between the United States and Iran took effect on April 8. The assault damaged a passenger terminal and represented a significant escalation in the fragile truce between Washington and Tehran.
Kuwait's military confirmed the Iranian attack targeted the terminal building, causing substantial damage to the structure. The country's civil aviation authority suspended traffic at the airport and redirected incoming flights to alternative locations. Kuwait's defense ministry spokesperson, Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan, called the strike "criminal Iranian aggression which resulted in significant material damage to the building and injuries."
The attack followed a chain of military exchanges in the Gulf region. U.S. forces had fired a Hellfire missile at an Iranian oil tanker, the M/T Lexie, as it attempted to reach Iran's Kharg Island near Kuwait. American Central Command stated that aircraft disabled the tanker's engine after the crew ignored repeated warnings over 24 hours. The tanker was traveling through international waters in the strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by striking Kuwait's airport and claimed to have attacked the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain with missiles and drones. The U.S. military denied the Bahrain claims. American forces also said they shot down three Iranian drones launched toward civilian vessels in regional waters.
In response to the escalation, Kuwait took diplomatic action. The country's deputy foreign minister summoned Iran's charge d'affaires to lodge a formal protest. Kuwait ordered a reduction in Iranian embassy staff, declared two Iranian diplomats persona non grata, and gave them 24 hours to leave.
Iran's foreign ministry blamed Kuwait and Bahrain for the attacks, stating they allowed the United States to use their territory for aggressive operations against Iran. The statement called the incident proof of "the direct and unmistakable responsibility of the leaders of Kuwait and Bahrain for last night's acts of aggression."
Mohsen Rezaee, military adviser to Iran's supreme leader, warned that further American attacks would be met with "a deluge of missiles and drones." He stated that "the aggressor will swiftly be punished."
President Trump said negotiations with Iran were continuing and that he was not seeking to escalate the conflict. He expressed interest in meeting with Iran's supreme leader but made derogatory comments about his health.
The exchange of strikes highlights the fragility of ceasefire efforts despite claims from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the war in Iran "is over" and that a nuclear agreement was within reach. Iran's foreign minister indicated the country would suspend peace talks in protest of Israeli military operations in Lebanon, threatening to derail negotiations with Washington.