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Flights at Kuwait International Airport were suspended on Wednesday after an Iranian jet and missile attack damaged airport facilities and diplomatic missions, killing one person and injuring others, according to Kuwaiti authorities and state media.
A civil aviation official said Kuwait Airways was resuming flights from Terminal 4, after assessing the damage and taking precautionary measures. On Monday, the airport had started a phased reopening process following the repair and improvement works completed after the previous attack by Iran.
The latest strike marks an escalation in the oil-rich Gulf state, which has seen a lull since a ceasefire in Iran’s war was declared on April 8. Iran had regularly launched missiles and drones at Kuwait – a US ally – and other Gulf states after the US-Israeli attack on Iran in Feb.
Bahrain’s military said it intercepted three missiles and several drones as Iran said it attacked the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in the country, as well as an aircraft and helicopter base in another, in an unspecified region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran said in a statement that it reserves the right to defend itself, saying that Kuwait and Bahrain have “direct and clear responsibility” for the attack, alleging that their territory and resources are being used to support US military operations against Iran.
The US military said two Iranian missiles aimed at Kuwait had crashed or broken, and several ballistic missiles failed to hit their targets in the region.
In other signs of escalation, the US military said it had downed drones targeting civilian vessels in regional waters and US forces in Kuwait, and carried out strikes on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz after an attempted attack by Iran.
Iranian media said the navy’s Revolutionary Guards had targeted the ship with missiles in response to what it said was a US attack on an Iranian tanker near Hormuz.
“Disrupting the security of the Strait of Hormuz will carry a heavy price for the American military,” the media quoted the guards.
Promises of a closer agreement have not been met
A shaky ceasefire did not lead to a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Iranian media said that Tehran had not been in contact with Washington for several days, but US President Donald Trump said that the talks have not ended, and he said in a new podcast interview with the New York Post that aired on Wednesday that Iran. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei engages in discussions.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a congressional committee on Tuesday, said there were “indications” that Khamenei, who became Iran’s supreme leader after his father was killed on the first day of the war, was “very involved at some level” in the negotiations. But Rubio also said that it can sometimes take days to get a response from Iran in talks with Pakistan.
US lawmakers, including some Republicans who are close to Trump, have been skeptical of the war, as the conflict with Iran enters its fourth month.
Last month, the Senate voted to advance a military power resolution that would end the Iran conflict unless Trump gets Congressional approval. Days later, House leaders abruptly postponed a vote on the same resolution when it looked like it would pass.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before two committees in Washington on Tuesday. It is the first time he has been asked on Capitol Hill since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.
Since mid-March, Trump has repeatedly said he is close to a ceasefire deal and has allowed negotiators to address issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump has said his priority is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies it is building a nuclear bomb and says its atomic program is for peaceful purposes.
Tehran wants access to billions of dollars in oil revenues, a freeze on exports, the lifting of the American embargo on its ports and continued control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas were cut before the war.
Trump agrees to phone call with Netanyahu
Thousands, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, have died in the war since it began on Feb. 28, while causing pain to the global economy by increasing electricity prices, especially in Europe, Asia and Africa.
It also sparked the latest conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, with Israel pursuing its deepest offensive in Lebanon in 25 years.
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The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had intercepted a “hostile aircraft” that had flown into northern Israel from Lebanon. It did not link the drone to Hezbollah and the Iran-backed group did not claim responsibility for the incident.
Lebanon had announced a temporary ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel that would see Israel halt strikes on Hezbollah-controlled areas in Beirut and Hezbollah halt attacks on Israel, although the deal does not end the conflict, according to Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington.
Trump on Wednesday acknowledged reports from earlier this week that he had a difficult conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he was not happy about Israel’s war with Lebanon.
“I did it,” Trump said in an interview with the Post’s Podcast One. “I wouldn’t say I’m angry. I’ve been a little disturbed by his constant fighting with Lebanon, you know.”
Trump went on to say that he and Netanyahu get along very well.
