Seven hostile drones were shot down over Kuwait in 24 hours, the country’s army said on Friday. It also reported that an Iranian attack late Thursday on National Guard facilities left several personnel wounded.
Kuwait’s news agency said the strike caused significant damage to a National Guard site.
The Foreign Ministry blamed Iran directly. It condemned “the criminal attacks launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies, including factions, militias and affiliated armed groups, using drones”. Kuwait said the strike undermined peace efforts between the US and Iran, and it reserved the right to take whatever measures it needs to protect its sovereignty and stability.
Tehran denies it
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejected the accusation. It said it had launched nothing since the two-week ceasefire with the US was announced early on Wednesday. “As of this hour during the ceasefire, the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have absolutely not launched any projectiles towards any country,” the Guards said in a statement carried by Fars news agency. They added that any action missing from official Iranian statements “has nothing to do with us”.
Kuwait was not the only Gulf state to report fire after the truce began. In the hours right after the announcement, Saudi Arabia said a pumping station on its East-West oil pipeline was hit, one citizen was killed and seven were injured. Since then Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain have reported no further attacks.
A ceasefire under strain
The truce is fragile. Washington and Tehran disagree on whether it covers Lebanon, where Israel keeps striking the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. On Friday Iran warned it would stay away from talks on a longer-term peace deal, due to start in Pakistan on Saturday morning, if the attacks on Lebanon continue.
President Donald Trump has said Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire. He also accused Iran of blocking shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. “This is not the agreement we have,” he wrote on Truth Social.
In Bahrain, the US embassy lifted its shelter-in-place advisory. It still warned American citizens that Iran or its proxy groups may try to target them or US interests.
Sources
- Kuwait says Iranian drone attack injured several personnel
- Kuwait attacked with drones despite ceasefire | The National
