DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Kuwait accused Iran of launching a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is helping build a port in the Middle East nation.
The accusation brought Tuesday came just before U.S. President Donald Trump was to depart for Beijing where he’ll meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a high-stakes visit over the war and other issues.
Iran didn’t immediately acknowledge the allegation by Kuwait, which came under attack by Iran in the war and during the shaky ceasefire still holding in the region. But that allegation and ongoing attacks throughout the region have threatened to reignite open warfare.
The narrow Strait of Hormuz remains in Iran’s chokehold, the U.S. is maintaining a blockade against Iran and negotiations between the two countries appear at a standstill.
With the risk of the conflict breaking out again, Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense weapons and personnel to operate them in the United Arab Emirates to defend the country during the war, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said.
That underlined the growing relationship between Israel and the UAE, both long suspicious of Iran. It also represents the first publicly acknowledged deployment of Israel’s military to the Emirates, home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Kuwait alleges Iran planned attack
Kuwait said a paramilitary Revolutionary Guard team tried to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf near Iraq and Iran on May 1.
It accused the team of planning to carry out “hostile acts,” without elaborating.
Kuwait said it detained four men, and that two escaped when its forces disrupted the attack. Kuwait said one of its security officials was wounded.
Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative. That project also came under Iranian attack during the war.
Kuwait provided no reason for why it delayed linking the attack to Iran after initially announcing it on May 3 without any details. Trump is traveling this week to China for a summit where Iran will likely be a main topic. Beijing long has been a buyer of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and has been hurt by the strait’s closure, which has sparked a global energy crisis.
Huckabee says Israel deployed to UAE
U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a one-time presidential candidate, revealed at a conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, that Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense to the UAE.
“I’d like to say a word of appreciation for United Arab Emirates, the first Abraham accord member,” Huckabee said. “Just look at the benefits. Israel just sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help operate them.”
The United Arab Emirates diplomatically recognized Israel in 2020. That drew criticism from Iran, long Israel’s main regional enemy. Iran didn’t immediately respond to Huckabee’s remarks, though it has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.
Israeli deployment comes as UAE signals strength
The UAE and Israel didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment over the acknowledgment by Huckabee.
Huckabee’s remarks came after the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, was quoted as saying the same during an event at the Israeli mission there Monday night — suggesting this was an intentional release of the information, likely with the Emiratis’ and Israelis’ blessing.
The UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached last month. It has been trying to signal to nervous investors and the public that it remains open for business and safe.
The UAE also has closed down Iranian government-linked sites in the country since the war began. The Emirates long has been used by both the Iranian government and average Iranians as a place to safely do business offshore from the Islamic Republic.
On Thursday, during a visit to the Emirates by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan accompanied him to an air base where Egyptian pilots and Rafael fighter jets were stationed. It was the first acknowledgment of a detachment operating in the UAE. Sheikh Mohammed and the UAE strongly backed el-Sissi as he rose to power in 2013 and in the years since.
Huckabee urges other Gulf states to recognize Israel
Huckabee added that he was “very optimistic” that additional countries in the region will soon join the Abraham Accords, the 2020 diplomatic recognition deal that also included the Gulf Arab kingdom of Bahrain, for formal relations with Israel.
However, many Arab states remain incensed by Israel’s wide-ranging military campaigns after Hamas’ 2023 attack on the country. The Gaza Strip has been leveled and Iran’s allies have been attacked across the region; Israel now controls territory in Lebanon and Syria.
Huckabee sought to shore up U.S. support for the recent war, suggesting that “Israel is the appetizer, America has always been the entrée” for Iran’s theocracy.
“The Gulf states now understood they will have to make a choice — is it more likely they will be attacked by Iran or Israel?” Huckabee asked. “They see that Israel helped us and Iran attacked us. Israel is not trying to take over your land, and is not sending missiles to you.”
Bahrain sentences two dozen over alleged Iran ties
Prosecutors in Bahrain said Tuesday that at least two dozen people were handed prison sentences on charges including espionage and conspiring with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. They said three were sentenced to life. Others received shorter Iran-related sentences.
Bahrain — an island nation ruled by a Sunni Muslim monarchy with a Shiite-majority population — has sentenced dozens on Iran-related charges since the start of the war. Prosecutors and the Interior Ministry have alleged that Iran maintains cells that carry out espionage and help identify targets there. Rights groups say the island nation has widened a crackdown on dissidents during the war, as well as on Shiites.
Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Sam Metz contributed to this report from Ramallah, West Bank.
