Event report — June 3, 2026
Kuwait declared two Iranian diplomats persona non grata and ordered them to leave within 24 hours after Iranian drone and ballistic missile attacks struck Kuwaiti territory, including a terminal at the country’s international airport. The diplomatic measures were announced on June 3, 2026.
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Hamad Suleiman Al-Mishaan summoned Hamid Hamid Yaqoubi Far, the acting chargé d’affaires at the Iranian Embassy. Al-Mishaan delivered a protest note and informed him of a decision to reduce staffing at the embassy, according to the ministry’s statement.
The statement did not identify the two diplomats designated for expulsion. It said they had 24 hours to depart Kuwait. The move combined an immediate removal order with a broader reduction in Iran’s diplomatic presence following the attacks.
Al-Mishaan condemned the strikes and restated Kuwait’s opposition to its land or airspace being used for hostile action against any country. He also rejected Iranian assertions cited by the ministry as unsupported and said their repetition could not justify attacks on Kuwaiti territory or on civilian and vital infrastructure. The report did not detail those Iranian assertions.
The deputy minister said Kuwait retained its inherent right to defend itself and take measures needed to protect its sovereignty and security. That language framed the expulsions and protest as part of Kuwait’s response to a direct breach of its territory, rather than a dispute confined to diplomatic rhetoric.
Kuwaiti authorities said one person was killed and 63 were injured in the strikes. They also reported damage to important sites, including diplomatic missions. The country’s state news agency said Prime Minister Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah visited the airport after the attack.
The measures followed a wider regional escalation that began in late February, when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran. More than 3,000 people were killed, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military and government figures, according to the background included in the report.
A ceasefire brokered by Pakistan took effect on April 8, though efforts to secure a broader settlement continued. The June 3 attacks and Kuwait’s response showed that the ceasefire had not removed the risk to Gulf states from continuing hostilities.
The supplied account relied on Kuwait’s official description of the attacks and diplomatic exchange. It did not include a response from the Iranian Embassy or Iranian authorities to the expulsion decision, the casualty figures or Kuwait’s rejection of Iran’s stated claims. Kuwait’s public position was that the strikes hit civilian and vital infrastructure and warranted both a formal protest and the rapid removal of two diplomats.
