Kuwait said Thursday it referred suspects accused of affiliation with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to court on charges of crossing the country’s maritime border and infiltrating a prohibited military zone, Anadolu reports.
Kuwaiti authorities said May 13 that they had detained IRGC members who “tried to infiltrate” its territory after a “clash” with the army. Kuwait also summoned Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Toutounchi and handed him a protest note.
The Public Prosecution said the IRGC-affiliated members were arrested after unlawfully entering the country, crossing its maritime border and infiltrating a prohibited military zone, according to local newspapers, including Al-Nahar and Al-Anbaa.
The suspects were detected by armed forces assigned to secure the site and were intercepted inside the military zone in an incident that “revealed an organized operation,” the prosecution said.
READ: Kuwait summons Iranian ambassador to protest alleged ‘IRGC members’ infiltration on Bubiyan Island
It said the infiltration was carried out “with prior preparation and tight coordination, using boats and navigational and field equipment,” adding that the suspects were in possession of weapons, ammunition, and communication and surveillance devices with the aim of targeting “sites and facilities of a military, sovereign and security nature.”
There was no immediate Iranian comment on the Kuwaiti move.
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to secure a lasting agreement. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce indefinitely while maintaining a blockade on vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports through the strategic waterway.
READ: Iran threatens permit system for internet cables crossing Strait of Hormuz
