Kuwaiti Newspapers: The Found Smuggled Weapons 'Came from Iran'

Two Kuwaiti newspapers report that a large shipment of weapons discovered in the country last week was smuggled from Iran into Kuwait. No official Kuwaiti authorities have confirmed this news. The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry stated last Thursday that a cache of ammunition, explosives, weapons, and grenades was found in a house near the border with Iraq. Three individuals who owned the house were also arrested. Reuters reports that the Kuwaiti newspaper Anbaa mentioned at the same time that this shipment was smuggled for use by Hezbollah in Lebanon in border areas with Iraq. Anbaa, which generally does not take anti-government stances, is one of the most widely circulated publications in Kuwait. However, the newspapers Al-Rai and Al-Qabas reported on August 16 that this equipment was 'brought by sea from Iran to Kuwait.' These newspapers based their reports on statements from unnamed sources. According to Al-Rai and Al-Qabas, the sources that provided them with information claim that the detainees have confessed to this. Al-Rai is part of the Al-Rai media group in Kuwait and is considered an influential newspaper, mainly supportive of the Kuwaiti government. Al-Qabas is viewed as a liberal and critical publication. Reuters quoted Al-Qabas stating that the current number of detainees in this case has reached 13. Al-Rai reported that the detainees indicated a direct communication line from Iran for smuggling weapons to Kuwait. Another publication, Al-Jarida, also stated that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has trained members of a group on an island in the Red Sea to use the equipment. According to Al-Jarida, members of this group were trained alongside citizens from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Al-Jarida claims that the trainers of this group have been traveling to this island using a port controlled by the Houthis in Yemen. No Kuwaiti official has confirmed these reports, and the Interior Ministry has not provided any explanation regarding this matter. Tehran has yet to respond to these news reports. Nearly two months ago, following a bombing in a Shia mosque in Kuwait City, 27 people were killed, including two Iranian citizens. The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry announced on July 28 that the attacker of this mosque was a Saudi citizen.