Bahrain, Kuwait step up criticism of Iran's missile and drone attacks

CAIRO - Officials in Bahrain and Kuwait stepped up their verbal attacks on Iran on Saturday after accusing the Islamic Republic of firing missiles and drones into their countries, with the two Gulf nations saying they intercepted several of the unmanned weapons.

The Kuwait Foreign Ministry, in a statement, referred to "repeated, heinous" Iranian attacks against it territory, including Saturday's, saying these attacks "cannot be justified or accepted under any pretext."

The ministry described the attacks as a "blatant aggression that ignores international demands to stop these practices," and overlooks the direct threat they pose to people's lives and to the regional security and stability.

In Bahrain, the army accused Iran of "continuing its systematic hostile course of action" by unleashing "heinous" missile and drone attacks targeting civilians in Bahrain.

Previously the Bahraini Foreign Ministry called on Iran to stop such "unjustified" attacks and opt for peace, saying the Iranian attacks on the island kingdom and Kuwait are a "flagrant" violation of the sovereignty of the two countries, who are US allies.

"The kingdom of Bahrain adheres to the option of peace and stability for the region. Its patience does not mean leniency, and defending its sovereignty, security, stability, and protecting its people is a red line on which it will not compromise," the ministry added, according to the official Bahraini news agency BNA.

Missiles, drones intercepted

The Bahraini army, in an online statement, said its air defense system intercepted three missiles and an unspecified number of drones. The country is home to the U.S. 5th Fleet. Earlier the Interior Ministry said sirens were activated and people urged to head to the nearest safe place.

The Kuwaiti army meanwhile said its air defenses intercepted "hostile" missile and drone attacks.

The Kuwaiti civil aviation says air traffic has resumed after a temporary closure of the country's airspace due to Iranian attacks, the official Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reported.

The U.S. military said it intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Iran at Kuwait and Bahrain. A seventh missile missed its target, U.S. Central Command said on X.

The U.S. military earlier said it had shot down four Iranian drones launched towards the Strait of Hormuz before striking coastal surveillance radar sites on Iran's Qeshm Island and in Goruk.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite force of the Islamic Republic, said it had attacked enemy bases in the region in response to the U.S. strikes.

Since the United States and Israel unleashed a bombing campaign on Iran in late February, Iran has repeatedly attacked Kuwait and Bahrain and other Gulf states that host U.S. military facilities.

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