Iran strikes Kuwait International Airport, raising questions over ceasefire talks with the United States

Iranian missile and drone attacks on Kuwait, home to a key U.S. Air Force base in the Middle East, forced the suspension of operations at Kuwait International Airport on the 3rd local time. As ceasefire talks continued, the United States and Iran, which had been trading airstrikes and retaliation since late last month, exchanged the largest attacks seen in the recent conflict. The United States said the two sides were still negotiating despite the clashes, and insisted that Iran's denuclearization remains the key issue.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in Kuwait said it had activated its emergency response plan after Iran's drone and missile attacks caused significant damage and casualties at Terminal 1 of Kuwait International Airport. The DGCA added that all flights had been suspended and were being diverted to alternate airports until airport security and technical measures were completed and readiness to resume operations was confirmed.
Kuwait News Agency (KNA), the state-run media outlet, claimed that the Terminal 1 building at the airport was directly hit in what it said was an Iranian attack. In response, the Kuwait Armed Forces said the drone and missile strike on the airport caused extensive property damage and injured several people.
Kuwait, where the U.S. Air Base Ali Al Salem is located near the Iraqi border, has faced repeated Iranian retaliation since the United States attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Iran was also reported to have launched drones and missiles at Ali Al Salem Air Base on the 28th of last month, despite the ceasefire with the United States.
■ Iran also attacks the U.S. Navy command in Bahrain
According to Anadolu Agency (AA) and other outlets in Turkey, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on the 2nd that it had attacked the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain and a U.S. Air Force base in Kuwait with missiles and drones. The IRGC said a communications tower south of Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz had come under U.S. attack, and stressed that the operation was justified. It also said one Iranian tanker was damaged after being hit by an airborne projectile near the Strait of Hormuz.
However, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said all of Iran's long-range strikes had failed, and that it had carried out airstrikes on Iranian bases on Kharg Island and elsewhere in self-defense.
In response to Iran's threat to block the Strait of Hormuz, the United States has since April 13 been turning back or detaining Iran-linked vessels entering or leaving the strait and Iranian ports. CENTCOM said that as of the 30th of last month, it had disabled five merchant ships near the Strait of Hormuz and diverted 116 others.
The United States and Iran entered a ceasefire on April 8, but clashed three times in the final week of that month. CENTCOM carried out airstrikes on military facilities near the Strait of Hormuz on the 25th, 28th, and between the 30th and 31st of last month. Iran claimed it had launched missiles and drones at a U.S. Air Force base on the 28th and again on the 31st, without naming the base precisely.
On the 1st, the BBC reported that Iran had attacked key facilities across eight Middle Eastern countries since late February, inflicting millions of dollars in damage on the U.S. military's most advanced air defense missile systems, airborne early warning and control aircraft, radar systems, and more. Some analysts estimated that as many as 28 U.S. military facilities had been hit by Iran.
■ Trump claims talks are continuing
Meanwhile, on the 2nd, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a hearing of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that "there is a chance of success. It could happen today, it could happen tomorrow, it could happen next week."
Asked whether the United States planned to ease sanctions on Iran in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, he said, "That has not been discussed or proposed." Rubio stressed that sanctions relief would only be possible if Iran gave up its nuclear program, since the country was sanctioned over its nuclear development. When asked whether Iran would end up in a situation similar to North Korea if it obtained nuclear weapons, he replied, "They would become like North Korea, but worse." Rubio added, "They would decide that the Strait of Hormuz belongs to them forever, and that every country must pay them a toll to pass through."
Rubio also explained that the delay in reaching a peace deal was due to "their internal system being somewhat divided," adding that "it takes days to get an answer." He said, "Negotiations with Iran unfortunately require intermediaries."
pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter