Kuwait has summoned Iran’s ambassador and handed him a formal protest note over Tehran’s targeting of a Kuwaiti tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, which injured several crew members, the country’s foreign ministry said.
Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Hamad Suleiman Al-Mashaan on Tuesday summoned Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Toutounchi over Monday evening’s attack on the Kuwaiti tanker KAIFAN as it transited the strategic waterway, the ministry said in a statement.
The attack injured several members of the vessel’s crew, it added, describing the incident as a “blatant attack” carried out amid an escalating Iranian campaign against the country since Feb. 28, 2026.
The statement said the attack, along with “inflammatory and provocative statements from the Iranian side,” constituted a serious violation of Kuwait’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests.
The ministry also said the incident threatened the security and freedom of international navigation and violated international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council Resolution 2817 of 2026.
Kuwait renewed its demand that Iran immediately halt its “unlawful attacks,” stressing that it reserved the right to take all necessary measures in response.
The ministry held Iran fully responsible for the tanker attack and the continuing aggression against Kuwait.
The incident came amid escalating attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy transit route.
The US has escalated attacks against Iran since last week, with Iran retaliating with strikes targeting facilities and bases it said are used by the US military in several regional countries.
The exchange of fire between the US and Iran came despite a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding they signed in June to end their war and reach a lasting peace agreement.
