At least one person was killed and 63 wounded when an Iranian drone struck a passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport, marking the first deadly attack in the Gulf since a ceasefire on 8 April. Kuwait’s military confirmed the casualties and said the attack caused significant material damage. Civil aviation authorities suspended flights and diverted incoming aircraft to alternative airports.
The strike came amid ongoing exchanges between the US and Iran, with both sides launching fresh missile and drone attacks. US forces fired a Hellfire missile to disable a tanker attempting to breach the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and later repelled Iranian reprisal strikes targeting sites on Iran’s Qeshm Island. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it attacked the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, a claim denied by US Central Command.
US President Donald Trump said in an interview that talks with Iran were continuing and he was not seeking escalation, adding: “We don’t need boots on the ground now.” He later claimed Iran was “pretty close” to signing a peace agreement and that a deal “could happen over the weekend”. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran was “playing with fire” and that Trump could order a “full-scale return to military action” if negotiations fail.
Kuwait summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires to protest the attack, declared two Iranian diplomats persona non grata, and ordered a reduction in Iranian embassy staff. Iran’s foreign ministry blamed Kuwait and Bahrain for the incident, accusing them of allowing the US to use their territory for “aggressive plans against Iran”.
The military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader threatened further strikes if the US renews attacks, stating: “Every shot fired and every attack will be met with a deluge of missiles and drones.” Trump expressed willingness to meet Iran’s supreme leader, saying: “I would like to meet him, and we probably will at some point.”
