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Iran on Tuesday pushed back sharply against Kuwaiti allegations that members of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had attempted to infiltrate the Gulf state, calling the accusations unfounded and urging Kuwait to pursue the matter through diplomatic channels rather than public statements.
Iran's Foreign Ministry dismissed charges leveled by Kuwait's foreign and interior ministries as "baseless," rejecting what it described as Kuwait's "improper political and propaganda exploitation" of an incident involving four Iranian nationals now in Kuwaiti custody.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the four individuals were conducting a routine maritime patrol when a disruption to their navigation system caused them to drift into Kuwaiti territorial waters, a characterization that stands in direct conflict with Kuwait's account of events.
Tehran reiterated its stated commitment to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring states and called on Kuwaiti authorities to refrain from "hasty statements and unfounded claims." Iran also demanded that embassy officials be granted consular access to the detained personnel "as soon as possible" in line with international law, and called for their immediate release.
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Kuwait presented a starkly different version of events. The country's Interior Ministry said four individuals affiliated with the IRGC were arrested while attempting to enter Kuwaiti waters by sea.
State news agency KUNA reported that the suspects admitted during interrogation to belonging to the IRGC and said they had been tasked with reaching Bubiyan Island aboard a rented fishing boat to carry out "hostile acts against Kuwait." A Kuwaiti security officer was injured during clashes with the group, the ministry added.
Kuwait subsequently summoned Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Totonji and handed him a formal protest note over what it characterized as an "armed infiltration" by IRGC elements. Bubiyan Island, located near the Iraqi border in the northern Gulf, holds strategic significance for Kuwait and has been the subject of infrastructure development in recent years.
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