Iran has engaged in an escalating series of what should be seen as “tit-for-tat” attacks in the region. The latest attacks in Kuwait raised concerns that Iran feels it can attack wherever it wants. Iran claims it is merely retaliating for US attacks.
Iran announced that “the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced that the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet was targeted in a missile and drone operation carried out by the IRGC Aerospace Force.”
Iran claimed this is “conducted in response to a series of US military attacks.” Apparently, the US struck an Iranian oil tanker to prevent the ship from moving through the Strait of Hormuz. “In retaliation, the IRGC said its naval forces launched missiles at a vessel identified as MSC Panaya, which it described as being affiliated with US and Israeli interests.”
However, there were more attacks. The US struck a communications tower in the southern part of Iran’s Qeshm Island. “In response, Iran launched missile and drone strikes against a US air and helicopter base located in a regional country, as well as the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet,” Iran’s IRNA state media said.
Iran escalated its reactions, attacking Kuwait last night.
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 had to move flights to Terminal 4 after the attacks. Part of another terminal was damaged.
“The [Kuwait foreign] ministry said that the strikes caused damage to critical infrastructure and strongly denounced the escalation.” Iran has said that the US “disrupting the security of the Strait of Hormuz will carry a heavy price for the US military.”
The IRGC seems to be conducting the attacks, as Iran’s army takes a back seat. Iran’s navy and air force were largely destroyed by the US and Israeli attacks in February and March.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have responded to the latest round of attacks. All these countries want to avoid escalation. Kuwait, which historically has tried to be neutral in Iran tensions, has now become a front line. It shares a border with Iran and is vulnerable to attacks while also hosting many US facilities.
UAE condemns Iran's attacks on neighbors
The UAE Foreign Ministry condemned the Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain. UAE presidential advisor Anwar Gargash called for the Gulf to be united in condemning this latest round of Iranian escalation.
“In light of the repeated Iranian aggression against the sisterly State of Kuwait and Kingdom of Bahrain, there must be a firm, unified, and cohesive Gulf stance,” Gargash wrote on X. “No Gulf state should be left to face the targeting alone, as the security of Arab Gulf states is interconnected, their interests are shared, and their fate is one.”
Kuwait’s Al-Jarida media has also responded with a series of articles.
It noted that the General Authority of Civil Aviation announced on Wednesday “the resumption of all Kuwait Airways flights only from Kuwait International Airport via passenger terminal T4, after the technical teams and competent authorities completed assessing the damages and taking the necessary measures to ensure the safety of operational processes.” Terminal 1 was damaged in the Iranian attacks. This resulted in serious damage, the report said.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry expressed the State of Kuwait’s condemnation and denunciation in the strongest terms of the “brutal and continuous Iranian attacks with ballistic missiles and drones.”
The ministry went on to stress “that the security, sovereignty, and safety of the State of Kuwait and its citizens and residents are a red line that cannot be crossed, emphasizing that the repetition of these attacks represents an organized, aggressive approach, which is something that the State of Kuwait will not accept or tolerate. The Ministry affirmed that the State of Kuwait reserves its full and inherent right to take appropriate measures to respond to these heinous and repeated Iranian attacks, in accordance with international law.”
Iran's attacks raise the stakes
Iran’s attacks raise the stakes in the Gulf. Iran is showing that it will now continue to up the escalation ante, basically increasing it each time, for US strikes. Iran is also showing that it will not back down. The question is whether this becomes the new normal or if the US and Iran can secure a deal. Iran wants to show it can sow chaos and conflict across a long frontline that stretches from Lebanon to Iraq, Kuwait, the Gulf, and the Red Sea.