Shafaq News- Tehran/ Washington

Iran and the United States exchanged accusations on Wednesday over the strike that targeted Kuwait International Airport.

According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Hossein Mohibi stated that an investigation found the Iranian forces did not target the airport's passenger terminal, arguing that the damage was caused by a malfunction in a US Patriot air defense system after it failed to intercept Iranian missiles.

Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) maintained that Iran had deliberately targeted the airport with drones.

🚫CLAIM: Iran claimed today that it did not attack the passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport and damage was instead caused by a U.S. missile interceptor. Totally FALSE.✅TRUTH: Iran struck the civilian airport with drones in a deliberate, calculated, and… pic.twitter.com/OVrzeDibQl

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 3, 2026

The escalation on June 3 began after US forces carried out what Washington described as self-defense strikes on an IRGC communications tower on Qeshm Island, a strategic Iranian island overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. Hours later, Iran launched missiles and drones “toward US-linked targets and Gulf states,” claiming it had struck the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a US air and helicopter base in the region. US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported intercepting multiple projectiles, stating that three drones targeted commercial vessels, two missiles aimed at Kuwait fell short, and several missiles and drones directed at Bahrain and US forces in Kuwait were defeated.

Kuwait, however, announced that its air defenses intercepted 13 ballistic missiles and 17 drones, while attacks on Kuwait International Airport killed one person, injured 63 others, and caused significant damage that forced the suspension of flights. The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry summoned Iran's chargé d'affaires, reduced staffing at the Iranian Embassy, and expelled two Iranian diplomats.