West Asia Conflict LIVE: Indian National Killed, Several Wounded In Kuwait Airport Attack; IRGC Claims Responsibility Calls It 'Retaliatory'

Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign affairs has declared two members of Iran’s diplomatic mission “persona non grata” and demanded their immediate departure, Al Jazeera reported.

Citing a statement, the report claimed that the ministry summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires to lodge an official protest over Iran’s “brutal and relentless aggressions”.

The two expelled diplomatic members must leave Kuwait within 24 hours, the ministry said.

At least 3,516 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the latest figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, per Al Jazeera.

At least 10,674 others have been wounded over the same period, the ministry said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he and US President Donald Trump are aligned on the goal of disarming Hezbollah in order to achieve peace between Israel and Lebanon.

Hezbollah "is an Iranian proxy that puts all the citizens of Lebanon at gunpoint and uses Lebanon as a platform to launch terror missiles into our cities, to launch killer drones against our civilians", Netanyahu said in an interview with US television channel CNBC.

"And so if we want to save Lebanon, if we want to get a Lebanese-Israeli peace, as I do, we have to disarm Hezbollah and we have to demilitarise Lebanon. And I know that this is a goal that the president and I share, and that's what we have to do." (AFP)

An Indian national was killed and several others injured on Tuesday in an attack that targeted Kuwait International Airport, officials said.

In a post on X, the Embassy of India in Kuwait said it is "closely coordinating" with the Kuwaiti authorities to extend all possible support and assistance to the bereaved family as well as those injured in the incident.

"Embassy of India in Kuwait expresses its deepest condolences at the tragic demise of an Indian national due to an attack on the airport in Kuwait today," it said.

This latest death brings the total number of Indian fatalities to at least 10 since hostilities broke out between Iran and the US on February 28.
India condemned the attack, while renewing calls for an end to such violence and strongly urged that civilian population and civilian infrastructure must not be targeted.

"We condemn the attack on the Kuwait International Airport today in which an Indian national has died and several of our nationals are injured," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "Since the onset of the conflict in West Asia, we have strongly urged that civilian population and civilian infrastructure must not be targeted. We again call upon parties to cease such attacks," it said in a statement.

Kuwait said that Iranian attacks on its territory killed one person and wounded several others, Al Jazeera reported.

The attack has also forced the airport to close and damaging unnamed diplomatic missions.

Kuwait said it detected 30 ballistic missiles and drones launched as part of a "heinous Iranian aggression" on Wednesday.

"Since dawn today, the armed forces have detected and engaged 13 hostile ballistic missiles within Kuwaiti airspace. These missiles were intercepted over several residential areas, resulting in some debris falling. The armed forces also detected and engaged 17 hostile drones. This heinous Iranian aggression targeted civilian and vital facilities," defence ministry spokesman Saud Abdulaziz al-Atwan said. (AFP)

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday claimed an attack against Kuwait, which it said was in retaliation for US attacks on an Iranian oil tanker and island.

"In response to this aggression, 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," the Guards said in a statement on their official Telegram channel. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump has admitted a heated exchange with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s continued fighting in Lebanon.

“I wouldn’t say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon, you know,” Trump said in an interview on the New York Post’s Pod Force One podcast. per Al Jazeera.

US President Donald Trump said he "would like to meet" Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in an interview published Wednesday.

"I would like to meet him, and we probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out," Trump told the New York Post's "Pod Force One". (AFP)

Iran has rejected the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's claims alleging that Tehran plotted to assassinate American political leaders, including the President Donald Trump.

Spokesperson of Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, posted a video of Rubio’s remarks on X and wrote: “Every accusation is a confession,” adding “playing victim cannot whitewash your harrowing war crimes and crimes against humanity against the nation of Iran”.

The Israeli army reported intercepting a "hostile aircraft" that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon on Wednesday, the first such incident in more than 24 hours. "Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago regarding a hostile aircraft infiltration in the areas of Manara and Kiryat Shmona, a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory was intercepted," the military said in a statement.

Israeli officials have warned that the military will strike Beirut's southern suburbs if Hezbollah launches projectiles at Israeli communities in the north, a stance they say is supported by Washington.

Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, official spokesman of the Ministry of Defence in Kuwait, stated that a number of hostile drones targeted the passenger building (T1) at Kuwait International Airport today due to Iranian aggression, which resulted in significant material damage to the building and injuries to a number of individuals, who received the necessary medical care.

He affirmed that the armed forces are monitoring the situation in coordination with the relevant authorities, and they are in a state of complete readiness to deal with any developments, and to take all necessary measures to preserve the security of the country and its stability.

Amid fresh tensions between Iran and the United States, Kuwait on Wednesday suspended flights after an Iranian strike targeted the country's airport, with several people reportedly wounded, according to AFP.

US Republican Representative Thomas Massie dismissed reports of tensions between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu as mere rhetoric, while criticising Washington's continued financial support to Israel. Responding to reports of a heated exchange between the two leaders, Massie said in a social media post, "It's all talk. Just withhold foreign aid to Israel for a month and they'll stop bombing their neighbors - instant peace, the Strait of Hormuz can be opened, and gas drops $2 a gallon."

He also criticised US assistance to Israel, saying, "Israel has been, and continues to be, the biggest welfare recipient from American tax payers."

Domestic equities traded lower on Wednesday following fresh escalation in tensions between the US and Iran, with benchmark indices declining up to one percent during morning trade. Sensex fell as much as 816 points or 1.09 per cent to hit an intraday low of 73,833 in early trade. Similarly, Nifty declined 200 points or 0.86 percent to touch an intraday low of 23,280. Sectoral indices traded largely in the red, with technology stocks emerging as the biggest drag. Nifty IT slumped nearly 4 per cent, while the Nifty MidSmall IT & Telecom index fell close to two percent. (IANS)

Israeli artillery shelling targeted the area around Blat in southern Lebanon on Wednesday (IST), with sound of explosions reported in the nearby town of Dibbine, according to Al Jazeera report. The shelling comes amid continued cross-border tensions between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, despite global efforts to prevent further escalation.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi has revealed during a visit to the United Arab Emirates that several previously active nuclear initiatives in Iran have now ceased. Grossi said the ongoing war and the targeting of Iran's nuclear programme has fundamentally altered assessments of Tehran's nuclear activities.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States has seen no evidence of China providing military assistance to Iran in the ongoing conflict in West Asia, as he urged Beijing to support international efforts aimed at restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking during a House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, when Rubio was questioned by lawmakers about China's relationship with Iran and whether Beijing had provided support during the recent hostilities, he said, "I would say that China has not provided any assistance to Iran in any way impeded our operations or ability to operate."

Rubio acknowledged that Iran possesses military equipment of Chinese origin and maintains longstanding ties with Beijing. However, he said Washington had not observed any recent Chinese actions that altered the military balance during the conflict. "We have seen no signs in the short term that during this situation that anything they've been providing them has in any way changed the dynamic in the battlefield," Rubio said.

The Secretary also described China's approach as cautious, suggesting Beijing has sought to avoid becoming directly involved in the crisis despite its broader strategic relationship with Tehran. "I think they've been quite cautious about engaging themselves in it," he said.

At the same time, Rubio called on China to play a more constructive role at the United Nations, particularly in efforts to address disruptions affecting maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The US military reported a fresh Iranian drone attack targeting American forces in Kuwait, but said it failed to impact intended targets. "US Central Command air defenses successfully downed multiple drones and ensured no American personnel or assets were harmed," CENTCOM said.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has rejected claims made by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that it successfully struck the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a separate American air base in the region with missiles and drones. CENTCOM described the Iranian claims as false, and said in a post on X, "Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims they struck U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and a U.S. air base in the region with missiles and drones today. FALSE."

It further added, "All Iranian attacks on American forces failed. U.S. forces remain vigilant and ready to defend against unwarranted Iranian aggression."

In another post, CENTCOM said the US forces successfully defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, and conducted self-defense strikes on Qeshm Island in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East on Tuesday. It said Iran launched several ballistic missiles towards regional neighbours; however, "all failed to hit their intended targets". "Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahrain air defense forces," CENTCOM said, adding that no US personnel have suffered injuries.

Prior to that, CENTCOM forces shot down three one-way attack drones launched by Iran towards civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters. "American forces also conducted self-defense strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island. No US personnel were harmed. CENTCOM forces remain vigilant and ready to defend against unwarranted Iranian aggression during the ongoing ceasefire," it said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said he believes Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is alive and is becoming "increasingly engaging" in leadership matters amid negotiations between the two sides to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the overall conflict in West Asia.

Marco Rubio made the remarks while addressing the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noting indications of continued involvement from the Iranian leadership amid ongoing regional tensions. "I think there are indications out there that he (Mojtaba Khamenei) is increasingly engaging at some level," Rubio told lawmakers. Read More...

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) called reports of a cessation in talks “false and erroneous.” “The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago and today,” Trump said in a social media post. "Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, ‘It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal."

Iran has been trying to increase pressure on Trump over negotiations on the Iran war ceasefire and loosening the Islamic Republic's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and the oil, gas and other commodities that normally pass through it. Trump then could potentially push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt or slow the advance of his forces, which have moved deeper into Lebanon than at any time in over a quarter of a century. The conflicts have increasingly become conjoined, as Iran insists that any potential truce in the war there must also quell the fighting in Lebanon. Israel and the US maintain the fighting in Lebanon is separate from the Iran war talks.

As part of the Trump administration's ongoing campaign to pressure Iran into a deal that would end an ongoing war with the U.S. and Israel, the U.S. placed sanctions on Iran’s largest digital asset exchange and three other exchanges, Tuesday.

Included in the sanctions are Iran's largest digital assets firm Nobitex and its chairman and co-founder, Amir Hossein Rad. Treasury says Nobitex has processed more than 50% of all Iranian digital asset income last year and supports Iran's vast sanctions evasion network.

The sanctions come as a pair of semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported Tuesday that Iran stopped communicating with mediators about extending a ceasefire in the war with the U.S. and Israel. US President Donald Trump has disputed the claim and said talks are continuing. Treasury accuses Nobitex of moving assets and funds out of the country to shield regime wealth after the start of U.S. combat operations in Iran. A representative from Nobitex could not be reached through email. U.S. officials maintain that Iran relies heavily on cryptocurrency and other digital assets to evade sanctions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the Reagan National Economic Forum this month, “We have seized about a billion dollars of their crypto."