CIREBON NEWS – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the damage that occurred at Terminal 1 of Kuwait International Airport was caused by Patriot missiles made in the United States (US).
According to the IRGC, Kuwait’s US-backed defense system misanticipated the attack, resulting in damage to its own assets. The Patriot missile misfired, while the missile fired by Tehran targeted a US military base.
“Our investigation and research into the Kuwait passenger terminal attack shows that the IRGC air force did not fire on this target, and the damage to the Kuwait airport passenger terminal was caused by a glitch in the American Patriot system, which landed in this terminal after failing to intercept an Iranian missile,” an IRGC spokesperson said on Wednesday.
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However, the IRGC claim was immediately denied by the Kuwaiti authorities. Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation later released a video showing how the damage occurred.
The incident occurred during a US-Iran missile exchange on Wednesday, sparked by an American attack on a tanker heading for Kharg Island and what CENTCOM called a “self-defense attack” on Qeshm Island.
At least one person was killed when a missile hit the terminal and other vital facilities at Kuwait International Airport, according to Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry, including the diplomatic mission. Several people were also injured in the attack, he added, without specifying the number.
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A video obtained by RT allegedly shows the impact of the attack. A short clip appears to show the inside of the terminal building filled with smoke and dust. Pieces of debris could be seen strewn across the floor with several fires visible, including on the roof.
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry did not comment on the extent of the damage to the airport. It condemned what it called Iran’s “aggressive attacks” and blamed it for “escalation” and “rising tensions” in the Middle East. They also warned that Kuwait “has the full and inherent right” to retaliate.
The IRGC stated that it launched attacks on US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, including the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, in response to attacks on their telecommunication towers on Qeshm Island. The US War Department claims that all Iranian missiles failed to hit their targets.
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The escalation comes nearly 100 days after the conflict began and nearly two months after the US and Iran reached a fragile ceasefire after more than a month of active hostilities. Tehran broke off negotiations with Washington earlier this week over the ongoing Israeli offensive in Lebanon.
Iran also restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy supply route, after the US-Israeli attack in February, while Washington initiated a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
