IRAN WAR: Kuwait accuses Iran of sending Revolutionary Guard to attack island

Read more about what's going on in the war on Tuesday

Published May 12, 2026  •  3 minute read

A photograph taken from the southern area of Tyre shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the area of Ras Al-Ain on May 12, 2026. Photo by KAWNAT HAJU /AFP via Getty Images

Kuwait accused Iran on Tuesday of sending an armed paramilitary Revolutionary Guard team to attack an island in the Middle East nation home to a China-funded port project, just before U.S. President Donald Trump travels to Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Iran didn’t immediately acknowledge the allegation by Kuwait. However, the allegation and ongoing attacks throughout the region have threatened to tip the region back into open warfare.

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The accusation came as the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said that Israel sent Iron Dome anti-missile batteries and personnel to operate them to the United Arab Emirates to defend the country during the war as well.

That underlined the growing defence relationship between Israel and the UAE, countries long suspicious of Iran. It also represents the first publicly acknowledged deployment of Israel’s military to the Emirates, a federation of seven sheikdoms on the Arabian Peninsula home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The narrow Strait of Hormuz remains in Tehran’s chokehold and negotiations between the U.S. and Iran appear at a standstill for the moment — also raising the risk of the conflict breaking out again.

Here’s the latest on the Iran war on Tuesday:

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Kuwait alleges Iran planned attack

Kuwait said that a team of six armed members of the Guard tried to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf near Iraq and Iran.

It accused the team of planning to carry out “hostile acts.”

Kuwait said that it detained four of the men, while two escaped. Kuwait said one of its security officials had been wounded in the attack.

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 attack during the war by Iran.

Trump is travelling this week to China for a summit with Xi, during which Iran will likely be a topic. Beijing has long been a buyer of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and has been hurt by the strait’s closure, which has sparked a global energy crisis.

Israeli deployment comes as UAE signals strength

The UAE and Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the acknowledgment by Huckabee. However, 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.

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It comes as the UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached in the war and has been trying to signal to nervous investors and the public it remains open for business and safe. The UAE has also closed down Iranian government-linked sites in the country since the war began. The Emirates has long been used by both the Iranian government and average Iranians as a place to safely do business offshore from the Islamic Republic.

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, which has seen the Gaza Strip levelled and Iran’s allies attacked across the wider Mideast. Israel now controls territory in Lebanon and Syria as well.

Huckabee, in his remarks, also sought to shore up U.S. support for the recent war, suggesting that “Israel is the appetizer, America has always been the entree” 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.”

– With files from The Associated Press

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