An Iranian drone attack on Kuwait International Airport killed one person and wounded more than 60 others, according to Kuwaiti authorities. The attack marks the first deadly incident in the Gulf since a ceasefire between Iran and the United States took effect in April.
Kuwaiti officials said the strike heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport and briefly forced the airport to suspend operations.
اللحظات الأولى للاعتداء الإيراني الغاشم من قبل المسيرات الذي تعرض له مبنى الركاب T1 في مطار الكويت الدولي بتاريخ 3 يونيو 2026 وتسبب بخسائر بالأرواح وإصابات بشرية بليغة وأضرار مادية جسيمة
The first moments following the brutal Iranian drone attack on Terminal 1 (T1) at Kuwait… pic.twitter.com/eTzQoVXB4K
— الطيران المدني (@Kuwait_DGCA) June 3, 2026
#Kuwait‘s Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Interior conducts an inspection tour of Terminal 1 (T1) at Kuwait International Airport to assess the damage caused by the recent Iranian aggression.https://t.co/WZRjzj4B6J#KUNA_Video#KUNA #Kuwait pic.twitter.com/VofCPBQkt6
— Kuwait News Agency – English Feed (@kuna_en) June 3, 2026
Iran denied targeting the civilian airport, claiming the damage was caused by a malfunctioning U.S. interceptor missile. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) rejected the claim, describing the incident as a deliberate and unjustified Iranian attack.
🚫CLAIM: Iran claimed today that it did not attack the passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport and damage was instead caused by a U.S. missile interceptor. Totally FALSE.
✅TRUTH: Iran struck the civilian airport with drones in a deliberate, calculated, and… pic.twitter.com/OVrzeDibQl
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 3, 2026
According to Kuwait’s Defense Ministry, Iran launched 30 ballistic missiles and drones during the attack.
“Since dawn today, the armed forces have detected and engaged 13 hostile ballistic missiles within Kuwaiti airspace. These missiles were intercepted over several residential areas, resulting in some debris falling. The armed forces also detected and engaged 17 hostile drones. This heinous Iranian aggression targeted civilian and vital facilities,” defense ministry spokesman Saud Abdulaziz al-Atwan says.
Following the attack, Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Kuwait, Hamed Hamid Yaqoubi Far, and delivered a formal protest note that included a demand for two Iranian Embassy staff members to leave the country within 24 hours.
The latest attack followed a series of military actions in and around the Strait of Hormuz involving the U.S. and Iran.
According to CENTCOM, American forces on Tuesday disabled the Botswana-flagged tanker M/T Lexie, which was traveling toward Iran’s Kharg Island. The vessel was struck after its crew ignored repeated warnings over a 24-hour period. U.S. forces also reported repelling Iranian missile and drone attacks and conducting strikes against military sites on Iran’s Qeshm Island.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it launched missiles and drones at the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain in retaliation for the strike on Qeshm. CENTCOM denied the claim, saying the attacks either failed or were intercepted.
🚫 CLAIM: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims they struck U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and a U.S. air base in the region with missiles and drones today. FALSE.
✅ TRUTH: All Iranian attacks on American forces failed. U.S. forces remain vigilant and ready to… pic.twitter.com/KuYzaENUqI
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 2, 2026
The exchange of attacks came as negotiations aimed at extending the U.S.–Iran ceasefire and securing a broader peace agreement continued. The talks have dragged on for weeks and have been complicated by Israel’s expanding military campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
President Donald Trump in an interview on Wednesday said that negotiations with Iran were ongoing and that he was not seeking to escalate the conflict: “We don’t need boots on the ground now.”
Trump later said Iran was “pretty close” to reaching a peace agreement with the U.S. and suggested that “it could happen over the weekend.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, warned that Iran was “playing with fire” following the attacks on Kuwait and said Trump could order a “full-scale return to military action” if the talks fail.
“It’s [Trump’s] decision: Israel is ready, and the U.S. forces are ready,” Netanyahu added.
