DUBAI/WASHINGTON: The US military on Wednesday said Iranian claims that a US missile interceptor had damaged Kuwait International Airport were false, adding that Iran struck the civilian airport with drones in a “deliberate, calculated, and unjustified attack.”
Iran's Tasnim agency cited Revolutionary Guards as saying that the destruction of airport terminal was caused by error in US patriot systems after failing to intercept Iranian missiles.
Kuwait said on Wednesday Iranian attacks on its territory killed one person and wounded several others, as well as forcing its airport to close and damaging unnamed diplomatic missions.
Kuwait’s foreign ministry condemned the attacks “that once again targeted vital and civilian infrastructure, including Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and injuring others, in addition to causing damage to vital infrastructure including diplomatic missions.”
Kuwait Airways have resumed flights from the airport’s Terminal 4 after authorities evaluated damages to the facility, state news KUNA reported. Air traffic was earlier suspended and flights were diverted to alternative airports.
Hostilities between Iran and the United States escalated sharply on Wednesday as Iran claimed responsibility for attacks on US military assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, including the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, while Washington reported intercepting missiles launched toward regional allies and carrying out retaliatory strikes.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it had launched missiles and drones against the US Fifth Fleet headquarters, an airbase and helicopters in a Gulf country in response to what it described as a US attack on a communications tower south of Qeshm Island.
Iranian media also reported that the IRGC Navy targeted a vessel identified as Panaya with missiles after accusing US forces of striking an Iranian tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, damaging its engine room.
“Disrupting the security of the Strait of Hormuz will carry a heavy price for the US military,” Iranian media quoted the IRGC as saying.
The latest claims came hours after Kuwait’s military said its air defenses intercepted hostile missile and drone attacks, while neighboring Bahrain activated warning sirens and urged residents to seek shelter.
The US military disputed the Iranian version, saying it conducted strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island after defeating multiple Iranian missiles and drones launched toward Kuwait and Bahrain.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran had launched ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors but failed to hit any targets.
Iranian media reported explosions near Qeshm Island, which lies close to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while the United States separately said it had engaged a tanker heading toward Iran.
The activity happened after Iran stopped communicating with mediators about extending a ceasefire in the war with the US and Israel, according to reports Tuesday from two semiofficial Iranian news agencies.
The reports by the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both believed to be close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, came as tensions flared in Israel’s separate-but-related fight against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Last week, Washington and Tehran said they had reached a tentative framework aimed at ending the conflict, but neither side has formally endorsed a final agreement.
Iranian media reported that communications between Tehran and Washington had lapsed for several days.
Since mid-March, Trump has repeatedly said a negotiated settlement is within reach and that discussions could eventually address Iran’s nuclear program.
Washington maintains that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains its primary objective. Tehran insists its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful.
Iran is seeking access to billions of dollars in frozen oil revenues, relief from sanctions on crude exports, an end to restrictions affecting its ports, and continued leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.
(with Agencies)
