Kuwait Accuses Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps of Sending Armed Infiltrators to Island

The small middle eastern nation said that Iran must ‘immediately and unconditionally cease’ its activities.

Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran, Iran, on April 5, 2024. Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Kuwait on May 12 accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of launching a failed attack earlier this month on an island where the Chinese communist regime is helping build a port in the oil-rich Middle East nation.

In a statement posted on X, Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote that the Iranian regime must “immediately and unconditionally cease its unlawful hostile acts that threaten the security and stability of the region and undermine regional and international efforts aimed at de-escalation,” according to a translation.

Kuwait said an armed group of members from the IRGC tried to infiltrate Bubiyan Island, located in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf near Iraq and Iran, this month. The Iranian group also allegedly engaged with Kuwait’s military before they were apprehended in an incident that caused an injury to one member of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces, it added.

The ministry, which did not elaborate, said the IRGC unit attempted to carry out “hostile acts” on the island.

Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of the Chinese regime’s “Belt and Road” initiative, which has invested billions of dollars into developing nations, triggering controversy and warnings from experts that it leads to corruption and significant debt.

Iran didn’t immediately publicly acknowledge the allegation by Kuwait, which came under attack by Iran in the war and during the shaky ceasefire still holding in the region. The allegation and ongoing attacks throughout the region have threatened to reignite open warfare.

On May 11, U.S. President Donald Trump said at a White House event that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran is on “life support” and that a proposal from Tehran was insufficient.

Iranian officials on May 12 said Tehran has expanded its control over the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which a significant portion of the world’s oil travels, according to state-run broadcaster Press TV.

The U.S. military has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, saying vessels traveling to and from the country will be stopped or redirected. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a May 12 post on X that it has redirected 65 vessels and disabled four while enforcing the blockade, which was announced about a month ago.

Smoke rises from a reported Iranian strike in the area where the U.S. Embassy is located in Kuwait City on March 2, 2026. AFP via Getty Images

Trump is traveling to China this week for a summit where Iran is likely to be a main topic. Beijing has long been a buyer of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and has been economically impacted by the Strait’s closure, which has triggered a global energy crisis.

Aside from Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, on multiple occasions throughout the ceasefire, has said that it has come under Iranian fire during the ceasefire.

This long exposure shows trails and explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system over Tel Aviv, on Feb. 28, 2026. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Israel, which joined the United States in launching strikes against Iran in the conflict, recently sent several of its “Iron Dome” missile defense batteries to the UAE, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed on May 12 during a conference at Tel Aviv University.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.