Iran strikes Kuwait’s main airport, killing one, as fragile ceasefire is tested again
Kuwait’s defense ministry said it detected and engaged 30 ballistic missiles and drones launched as part of a “heinous Iranian aggression” on Wednesday. The foreign ministry confirmed that one person was killed in the attack, which targeted civilian facilities, including Kuwait International Airport and several diplomatic missions—though it did not specify which missions were affected.
Defense ministry spokesman Saud Abdulaziz al-Atwan said the armed forces had detected and engaged 13 hostile ballistic missiles in Kuwaiti airspace since dawn. The missiles were intercepted over multiple residential areas, resulting in debris falling in several locations. Separately, the military engaged 17 hostile drones, al-Atwan added, emphasizing that “this heinous Iranian aggression” deliberately targeted civilian and vital facilities across the country.
Kuwait airport struck amid escalating regional conflict
Kuwait briefly shut its main airport on Wednesday after Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal building, killed one person, and wounded dozens. The attack marks the latest in a series of back-and-forth strikes between Tehran and Washington that continue to test a fragile ceasefire, now in its fourth month.
The strike again brought home the risks to residents and travelers in Gulf countries that had long considered themselves relative havens before the current war began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Talks strained as regional war widens
Ceasefire talks have dragged on for weeks as mediators seek a more enduring truce in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Now, negotiations are further strained by Israel’s widening war with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
A regional official said Iran is demanding a separate ceasefire in Lebanon be enforced before it returns to broader talks. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has asserted that negotiations continue despite the violence.
Iran maintains its hold on the Strait of Hormuz a crucial waterway for the world’s oil, natural gas, and related products such as fertilizer while the U.S. continues its blockade of Iranian ports. Global fuel prices remain high, and the effects of the conflict are now being felt well beyond the immediate war zone.
Victim identified as Indian national; dozens wounded
India’s embassy confirmed that the person killed was an Indian national. Authorities reported that 63 people were wounded, including passengers and airport workers. Health Ministry spokesman Abdullah Al Sanad said some of the injured suffered serious wounds.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi said “a number of hostile drones” targeted a passenger building at Kuwait International Airport, which had reopened only on Monday after a months-long closure due to the war. The attack caused “severe damage” to the airport’s Terminal 1 building, according to the state news agency, citing the General Civil Aviation Authority.
Kuwait Airways announced it would reschedule its Wednesday flights. Shortly afterward, the civil aviation authority said the national carrier had resumed operations from Terminal 4 after damage assessments were completed and safety measures were implemented.
Kuwait expels two Iranian diplomats in protest
Later on Wednesday, Kuwait demanded that two Iranian embassy staff leave the country within 24 hours. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Hamad Suleiman al-Mashaan summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Kuwait, Hamed Hamid Yaqoubi Far, and handed him an official protest note.
The foreign ministry said in a statement that Kuwait had decided to “reduce the number of members of the Iranian Embassy in the country” and to declare “two members of the Iranian diplomatic mission persona non grata, and request their departure from the territory of the State of Kuwait within a maximum period of 24 hours.”
The attack marked a major escalation for Kuwait, which had experienced relative calm since a ceasefire in the Iran war took effect on April 8. Iran has launched missiles and drones at Kuwait as well as several other Gulf states during the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which began on February 28.
U.S. military responds; Iranian missiles fall short or are intercepted
Earlier, the U.S. military reported that two Iranian missiles fired toward Kuwait either fell short or broke apart mid-flight, while three missiles launched at Bahrain were intercepted by U.S. and Bahraini forces.
A further wave of Iranian drones targeting U.S. forces in Kuwait failed to reach their intended targets, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X. CENTCOM added that Iranian ballistic missiles fired toward regional neighbors did not strike their targets. In response, U.S. forces carried out strikes on Qeshm Island and intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
Kuwait reserves right to respond
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry stated that the country will “neither accept nor tolerate” the attacks and reserves the right to respond. The strike on Kuwait International Airport injured several people and forced authorities to divert flights, according to the state news agency. The attack caused “severe damage” to Terminal 1, it reported.
The incident underscores how the widening regional conflict is no longer confined to direct U.S.-Iranian or Israeli-Iranian fronts, but now directly endangers the civilian infrastructure and populations of Gulf states once seen as insulated from the worst of the violence.
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