Shadow Wars: IRGC Operatives Tried To Infiltrate Kuwait, Firefight Ensues
Kuwait and Iran are barely separated by a small section of Iraqi coastline at the head of the Persian Gulf, but they do share a maritime border. But given the small oil-rich Sunni sheikdom's close proximity to the Islamic Republic, and given its historic role in hosting American forces and bases, it is to be expected that it would be heavily targeted in Iranian military operations.
Indeed, Kuwait has alongside the UAE absorbed some of the biggest ballistic missile and drone attacks out of Israel during the US-Israeli Operation Epic Fury. US forces have even had to retreat to other locations deeper in the Middle East or even outside the theatre, given the repeat attacks and looming threat of new attack even amid broader ceasefire.
But in tandem with an air war, there's has been a covert war happening in the shadows, with Kuwait's interior ministry newly announcing on Tuesday it has arrested four 'infiltrators' affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). The ground attack incident is said to have happened earlier this month, and involved heavy exchanges of fire.
The elite IRGC operatives reportedly tried to enter the Gulf state by sea, per Kuwait state news agency KUNA. A firefight ensued, and the ministry later confirmed one member of Kuwait’s armed forces was seriously wounded in resulting clashes with the infiltrating small group of Iranians.
The Interior Ministry accused the IRGC operatives of seeking to launch "hostile" activities inside Kuwait. "Confession of the infiltration group to Kuwaiti territories during interrogation with them of their affiliation to the Revolutionary Guard in the Islamic Republic of Iran," the ministry stated.
It appears that only two of the Iranian group are in custody while two escaped, per an initial statement. As for the operatives in custody, "They confessed to being tasked with infiltrating Bubiyan Island aboard a fishing boat rented specifically to carry out hostile acts against Kuwait," the official Kuwaiti statement added.
Other sources, including the defense ministry, say that all four have been detained and identified, amid early conflicting reports:
Kuwait’s Defense Ministry reported on May 3 that naval Col. Amir Hossein Abdolmohammad Zaraei, naval Col. Abdolsamad Yedaleh Ghanavati, naval Capt. Ahmad Jamshid Gholamreza Zolfaghari and 1st Lt. Mohammad Hossein Sohrab Foroughi Rad had been arrested in territorial waters after attempting to infiltrate Bubiyan Island.
Kuwaiti Armed Forces stationed on Bubiyan Island exchanged fire with the men during the confrontation, resulting in severe injuries to one service member.
Bubiyan is the largest of a group of eight islands belonging to Kuwait, lying in the north-western corner of the Persian Gulf. Importantly, the large island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, part of China's Belt and Road initiative.
Kuwait is a very small country and Bubiyan Island is not some distant place but strategically located close to population centers and energy sites although the island itself is empty. pic.twitter.com/Fdd8RU3NqS
— Alberto Miguel Fernandez (@AlbertoMiguelF5) May 12, 2026
That the alleged Iranian high-risk operation focused on an island with a key China-built port is quickly becoming focus of Western media reports. According to ABC:
Kuwait accused Iran on Tuesday of sending an armed paramilitary Revolutionary Guard team to launch a failed attack earlier this month on an island in the Middle East nation home to a China-funded port project.
The accusation by Kuwait of an Iranian link to the incident came just before U.S. President Donald Trump travels to Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Tehran has yet to acknowledge or own up to the incident, and is not expected to, unless it is an outright denial.
One freight and oil transit industry headline from early March underscores just how ambitious and costly the China-backed project remains: Kuwait, China Advance USD 4.1 Billion Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port Project...
Kuwait and China have agreed to strengthen their commercial and maritime cooperation through the construction of a new container port on Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island. The project marks a significant step in deepening bilateral economic ties and enhancing the oil-rich country’s strategic position within regional shipping networks.
The Chinese majority state-owned firm China Communications Construction Company will undertake the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) works for the project’s first phase.
The development of the new container hub in the north of the country is expected to expand Kuwait's port capacity and reinforce its role in both regional and global trade flows.
And yet, current Kuwaiti oil export flows remain forcibly halted, due to the Strait of Hormuz closure and ongoing standoff, which has on the one hand seen Iran target 'unauthorized' foreign shipping with drones and missiles, and on the other seen the US Navy maintain its own blockade of Iranian ports.