Iran Accuses Kuwait of Detaining 4 Nationals

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Kuwait on Wednesday of unlawfully attacking an Iranian boat and detaining four Iranian nationals near Bubiyan Island in the Persian Gulf, demanding their immediate release and reserving the right to respond.

The dispute stems from an incident on May 1, when Kuwaiti security forces intercepted a group aboard a fishing vessel approaching Bubiyan Island, Kuwait's largest coastal island near the Iraqi and Iranian borders. Kuwait's Interior Ministry stated that four suspects, identified as two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval officers, a captain and a lieutenant commander, confessed to being tasked by the IRGC with infiltrating the island for hostile acts. Officials said the group included six armed individuals, with two escaping during the confrontation that injured one Kuwaiti serviceman. The island hosts strategic infrastructure, including a Chinese-funded port project.

Iran rejected the allegations as baseless. Araghchi wrote on social media platform X: "In a clear attempt to sow discord, Kuwait has unlawfully attacked an Iranian boat and detained 4 of our citizens in the Persian Gulf. This illegal act took place near an...