Kuwait suspended commercial flights on Wednesday after Iranian drones heavily damaged the country's main airport and killed one person, marking the latest escalation in a series of back-and-forth attacks between Tehran and Washington that have strained a fragile ceasefire.
Iranian Drone Strike Hits Kuwait's Main Airport
Defense Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi reported that "a number of hostile drones" targeted Kuwait International Airport's passenger building, causing severe damage and injuring multiple individuals. Kuwait's Foreign Ministry later confirmed at least one fatality and several wounded. The airport had only reopened on Monday after being closed earlier in the conflict. State media announced that Kuwait Airways was suspending operations until further notice.
The U.S. military stated that Iran fired two missiles at Kuwait, which disintegrated mid-flight, and that American forces had "downed multiple drones" targeting their personnel in the country. Additionally, U.S. and Bahraini forces intercepted missiles aimed at Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Bahrain's Defense Ministry reported intercepting and destroying three missiles and several drones launched by Iran.
In response to the attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, the U.S. military launched strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard acknowledged targeting the 5th Fleet's headquarters and U.S. military facilities in another country, without naming Kuwait, calling it retaliation for attacks on Qeshm Island. "We had previously warned that in case of aggression, the response would be different and more severe, and we acted accordingly," the Guard stated.
A senior Emirati diplomat called for "a firm, unified, and cohesive Gulf position" against Iran, emphasizing that the aggression targets all states in the region.
Iranian News Agencies Report Pause in Communication With Mediators
Iran's Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both close to the Revolutionary Guard, reported that Iranian negotiators have ceased communication with ceasefire mediators amid escalating tensions in Israel's separate conflict with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. A regional official involved in mediation, speaking anonymously, told the Associated Press that Iran had not communicated on Tuesday, demanding that a ceasefire in Lebanon be enforced before resuming talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump disputed reports of a halt in negotiations, calling them "false and erroneous." He stated that conversations have been ongoing continuously, including in recent days, and urged Iran to make a deal.
The War With Iran Is Increasingly Tied to Israel's War in Lebanon
Israeli forces have advanced deeper into Lebanon than at any point in over 25 years, despite a nominal ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Iran insists that any broader truce must also address the fighting in Lebanon. Trump could potentially pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to slow the advance, but Israel and the U.S. maintain that the Lebanon conflict is separate from the Iran war talks.
