Iran Protests Allegations in 'Weapons Discovery Case in Kuwait'

The Iranian embassy in Kuwait expressed dissatisfaction with the mention of the Islamic Republic in the case of weapon and ammunition discovery in Kuwait, emphasizing that it has no information about the identity of the individual identified as an Iranian citizen in this case and considers the claims to be a "continuation of negative media propaganda" against the relations between the two countries. On Tuesday, September 1, the Kuwaiti prosecutor's office announced that 24 individuals, including one Iranian national, were accused of "espionage for the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah" with the aim of "hostile actions against the state of Kuwait" and "smuggling explosives and weapons into the country." The announcement stated that the accused, some of whom were charged with membership in Hezbollah, are all Kuwaiti citizens except for one individual who holds Iranian nationality. However, in a statement released by the Islamic Republic's embassy in Kuwait on Thursday, September 3, it was noted that the embassy has "not received any official information regarding the identity of the alleged Iranian individual and the details of the arrest and the role of the mentioned individual in the accusations made by the relevant authorities." The Iranian embassy also requested that Kuwaiti officials provide "necessary access in this regard." In another part of the statement, the Iranian embassy described the allegations made in the Kuwaiti prosecutor's announcement as "a targeted continuation of negative propaganda by some Kuwaiti media" against the relations between the two countries and expressed deep regret over accusations that, according to the Iranian representation, "none of which have been proven in relevant authorities so far." The Iranian representation in Kuwait also emphasized that the relations between Iran and Kuwait "are not conducive to such accusations" as stated in the Kuwaiti prosecutor's indictment. The statement also reminded that the Islamic Republic emphasizes the "security of all countries in the region" and is interested in "playing a constructive role in strengthening stability and calm in the region." Meanwhile, some members of the Kuwaiti parliament are calling for diplomatic action from their government against Tehran due to the accusations in this case. For instance, according to AFP, Hamoud Al-Hamdan, an Islamist member of the Kuwaiti parliament, has called for cutting "diplomatic ties between Kuwait and Tehran" and expelling several Iranian nationals residing in the country, which currently hosts 50,000 Iranian workers. Relations between Iran and the Arab Gulf states have experienced many ups and downs in recent years, and at times, some regional countries have accused Iran of interfering in their internal affairs. Regarding Kuwait, although the governments of Iran and Kuwait have relatively lower tensions compared to Tehran's relations with other regional countries, recently, following an explosion in the capital of Bahrain on September 1, the head of the Kuwaiti parliament's foreign relations committee accused Iran of being involved in this explosion, describing the Islamic Republic as the "real enemy" of Sunni Arab countries in the Gulf region. However, the Iranian foreign minister mentioned in early June during the OIC summit that Kuwait is a country whose relations with Tehran are expanding.