Mohammad Sıo
12 May 2026•Update: 12 May 2026
Kuwait summoned the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday to protest the alleged infiltration of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to Bubiyan Island, where they clashed with Kuwaiti forces.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Deputy Foreign Minister Hamad Suleiman al-Mashaan handed Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Totonji a formal protest note over an “armed infiltration” by IRGC elements.
The ministry condemned the incident as a “hostile act,” calling on Iran to immediately and unconditionally halt such actions.
Kuwait also held Iran fully responsible for a “blatant violation” of Kuwaiti sovereignty, international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council Resolution 2817 of 2026.
The statement stressed that Kuwait reserves the full right to defend itself under Article 51 of the UN Charter and to take measures necessary to protect its sovereignty, national security, citizens, and residents.
Earlier Tuesday, Kuwait’s Interior Ministry said four people affiliated with the IRGC were arrested while attempting to enter the country by sea.
According to the state news agency KUNA, the suspects admitted during questioning that they belonged to the IRGC and had been tasked with infiltrating Bubiyan Island aboard a rented fishing boat to carry out “hostile acts against Kuwait.”
The ministry added that a Kuwaiti security officer was injured during clashes with the infiltrators.
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by US President Donald Trump without a set deadline.
On Sunday, Iran sent Pakistan its response to a US proposal for ending the war, but Trump dismissed it as “totally unacceptable.”
