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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Sunday, conveying his condolences and expressing deep concern over the Iranian missile and drone attacks that struck Kuwait a day earlier, as Ankara positioned itself as a mediator in the rapidly escalating Middle East conflict.
During the call, Erdogan stressed that diplomacy and negotiations remain "the most rational option" for resolving the crisis and pledged that Türkiye would do everything in its power to help restore peace swiftly in the region. The conversation came as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump had also spoken with the leaders of the United Kingdom, Kuwait and Türkiye as Washington engaged in intense diplomatic outreach amid the widening hostilities.
Kuwait's military said Iranian ballistic missiles targeted Ali Al-Salem Air Base on Saturday, a facility that hosts U.S. Air Force personnel along with other international forces. Kuwaiti air defenses successfully intercepted the incoming missiles, though debris fell in the vicinity of the base, causing minor injuries to three members of the armed forces and limited material damage.
A separate drone strike hit Kuwait International Airport on Saturday evening, injuring several workers and causing material damage to the passenger terminal. Kuwait's civil aviation authority suspended all flights to Iran until further notice, and the country temporarily closed its airspace.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the attack caused significant damage to the air base's runway, though all Italian air force personnel stationed there were unharmed, having taken shelter in a bunker. Italy has maintained a presence at Ali Al-Salem since 2019 as part of surveillance operations against the Daesh group in Iraq.
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Kuwait's foreign ministry called the Iranian attack a blatant violation of its sovereignty, airspace, international law and the United Nations Charter, and affirmed the country's right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Officials warned that continued military escalation would undermine regional stability.
The strikes on Kuwait were part of a broader Iranian retaliatory campaign targeting American military assets across multiple Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan, following joint U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran on Saturday.
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