Iran Dozens injured in Kuwait after new escalation in the Gulf
Dozens of people have been injured in the worst escalation since the start of the ceasefire in the Iran war. At least 63 people were injured by an Iranian attack at Kuwait airport, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health.
03.06.2026, 14:57
SDA
Among the injured were travelers, airport employees and other civilians. At least one person was killed.
During the night, Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired ballistic missiles and drones at the neighboring Gulf states of Kuwait and Bahrain, while the US military attacked an Iranian military facility on the island of Gheshm in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Tehran, the Iranian attacks targeted US military bases in the Persian Gulf states. According to the Revolutionary Guards, the latest escalation was triggered by a US attack on an Iranian oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz.
Dramatic scenes at the airport in Kuwait
These were not the first mutual attacks since the ceasefire came into force on April 8, but with each new attack the fear of a renewed escalation of the war increases.
The latest exchange of blows took place against the backdrop of faltering negotiations on a framework agreement to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
The airport has already come under fire several times and has now been hit hard again. Images taken after the attack showed a destroyed airport hall as well as thick smoke and fire.
According to the authorities, some of the victims of the attack had lost limbs, while others had suffered brain haemorrhages or broken bones. Seven of the injured have so far undergone emergency surgery.
Two dozen ambulances were deployed at the airport to treat the victims and take them to hospitals. Kuwait's armed forces reportedly intercepted 13 Iranian missiles and 17 Iranian drones.
Iran reports retaliation after US attack on oil tanker
On Tuesday, US forces reportedly attacked an unladen oil tanker off the island of Kharg, which is important for Iran's oil exports. The tanker is said to have attempted to call at an Iranian port despite the US blockade.
The ship ignored warnings and was ultimately put out of action with a missile, according to reports. The Revolutionary Guards, Iran's elite military force, confirmed their retaliatory strikes.
They had warned "that any aggression would result in a different and more decisive response", they said in a statement. Any threat to the security of the Strait of Hormuz would "cost the US military dearly", they warned.
Iran's armed forces took control of the strait, which is of great importance to the global economy as an export route for fertilizer, oil and liquid gas, shortly after the war began. For its part, the USA has imposed a naval blockade to prevent Iran from exporting oil.
The USA wants to achieve an unrestricted reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
US regional command denies Iranian reports.
Iran's armed forces announced that they had targeted a US airbase in Kuwait and the headquarters of the US Navy in Bahrain. The regional command responsible for the Middle East (Centcom) denies this. This is false. All Iranian attacks on US forces have failed.
They remain ready to defend themselves against "unprovoked Iranian aggression", it said.
Trump: talks with Tehran continue
Despite statements to the contrary from Iran, US President Donald Trump reiterated on Tuesday that negotiations between Washington and Tehran on the Iran war are continuing.
"Fake news reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the US stopped talks a few days ago are false and misleading," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. The talks were continuing uninterrupted.
"You never know where they will lead," Trump continued. But he had told Iran that it was time to "make a deal one way or another".
Prior to Trump's post, the Iranian news agency Fars, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, had reported that there had been no talks between Tehran and Washington for several days.
The Iranian agency Tasnim had already reported similarly on Monday, citing Israel's ongoing war against the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon as the reason for the end of indirect negotiations.
