CENTCOM Says Iran Struck Kuwait International Airport With Drones After Patriot Malfunction Claims

A dispute over responsibility for damage to Kuwait International Airport’s passenger terminal intensified after Iran and the United States traded competing explanations for the incident.

“Clashes in the Gulf region have escalated, with diplomacy showing little progress, as Bahrain and Kuwait report attacks by Iran after the US military strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island”

Al Jazeera

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the destruction was caused by an error in the American Patriot defense systems, with Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi declaring that the IRGC Aerospace Force did not launch any strikes toward the Kuwaiti passenger terminal and that the damage resulted from a malfunction in the U.S. Patriot systems.

Al Jazeera

US Central Command (CENTCOM) rejected Iran’s account, stating: "Totally FALSE."

CENTCOM instead asserted that "Iran struck the civilian airport with drones in a deliberate, calculated, and unjustified attack," while Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it called Iran’s "blatant acts of aggression" that "constitute a flagrant violation of international law."

Kuwaiti authorities confirmed that the incident killed an Indian national and left 63 other individuals injured, and the airport’s activity was forced to be frozen before later resuming.

Al Jazeera reported that Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA said the international airport was hit by drones and missiles on Wednesday morning, causing severe damage to a number of airport facilities and forcing the airport’s activity to be frozen.

Anadolu Ajansi

The same report said India’s foreign ministry condemned the attack, stating: "We condemn the attack on the Kuwait International Airport today in which an Indian national has died and several of our nationals are injured."

Kuwait also took diplomatic steps after the strikes, including summoning Iran’s charge d’affaires and handing him a protest note that included the demand that two Iranian embassy staff members leave the country within 24 hours.

The competing narratives over the airport incident unfolded alongside broader claims of strikes and counterstrikes across the Gulf, with both sides accusing each other of targeting civilian infrastructure and military assets.

“ANI |Updated:Jun 04, 2026 02:01IST Florida [US], June 4 (ANI): US Central Command (CENTCOM) has vehemently rejected Iranian assertions regarding the recent destruction at Kuwait International Airport, labelling Tehran's account as "totally false" and accusing it of orchestrating a deliberate strike on civilian infrastructure”

ANI News

Middle East Eye said Kuwait denied that its airspace was used to launch strikes on Iran after the airport was struck, while it also reported that Kuwait’s defence ministry spokesperson Brigadier General Saud al-Otayan condemned the barrage as “criminal Iranian aggression”.

In parallel, the IRGC said in a statement on its official Telegram channel that "the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, which hosts helicopters, as well as the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, were targeted with missiles and drones by the Guards' forces," linking the airport dispute to retaliatory action.

As the information war continued, Yeni Safak English framed the IRGC’s position around a Patriot malfunction claim and quoted IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi saying: "Our investigations regarding the impact on Kuwait's passenger terminal show that the IRGC Aerospace Force did not fire at this target," while CENTCOM maintained its denial and called the Iranian claim "totally false."