Iran Blames Patriot Missile Malfunction For Kuwait Airport Strike; US Rejects Claim

Iran and the United States have offered sharply conflicting accounts of what caused damage to Kuwait International Airport, in which an Indian citizen was killed.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied targeting the airport’s passenger terminal, claiming the damage was caused by a malfunctioning US Patriot air-defence interceptor rather than an Iranian strike.

According to Iran’s state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, an IRGC spokesperson said an investigation had found that the IRGC Aerospace Force did not fire at the civilian facility. Instead, the spokesperson alleged that US Patriot missiles fell onto the terminal after failing to intercept incoming Iranian projectiles.

“The Aerospace Force did not target Kuwait Airport. The damage

was caused by Patriot systems that landed on the terminal after a failed interception attempt,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Iran’s claim was swiftly rejected by the US military. In a statement, US Central Command (CENTCOM) dismissed Iran’s account as “totally false” and accused Tehran of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure.

“CLAIM: Iran claimed today that it did not attack the passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport and damage was instead caused by a US missile interceptor. Totally FALSE,” CENTCOM said.

“TRUTH: Iran struck the civilian airport with drones in a deliberate, calculated, and unjustified attack,” it added.

The tensions have escalated in West Asia after Iran and the US continue to strike each other despite negotiations.

Kuwait’s international airport was targeted several times during the war and had only fully resumed operations on June 1.

India Condemns Attack on Kuwait Airport

An Indian national killed and injured 63 people at Kuwait’s international airport, forcing it to close temporarily.

India condemned the attack and urged all sides not to attack common people and civilian infrastructure.

“We condemn the attack on the Kuwait International Airport today in which an Indian national has died and several of our nationals are injured,” the MEA said.

Iran Launches Fresh Attacks

Iran launched fresh attacks on US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, accusing both Gulf nations of allowing America to use their territory to launch attacks on an Iranian tanker and island.

Tehran said it attacked the US Navy’s Middle East headquarters in Bahrain as well as the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, but did not mention the airport.

Kuwait’s ministry of defence spokesman Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan said 30 ballistic missiles and drones were launched as part of the “heinous Iranian aggression” that caused “significant material damage to the building”.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards blamed the US for targeting an Iranian oil tanker and communications tower on the country’s Qeshm Island.

“In response to this aggression, the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, which hosts helicopters, as well as the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, were targeted with missiles and drones by the Guards’ forces,” the Guards said in a statement on their official Telegram channel.

The Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran’s attacks during the war, which began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran and killed its senior leadership in late February.