Kuwait Summons Iranian Ambassador Over Assassination Plot Dispute
Kuwait summoned the Iranian ambassador after Tehran rejected court rulings that sentenced several people to death for plotting assassinations of senior Kuwaiti officials.
The Government of Kuwait summoned Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Toutounchi on October 28, 2026, to deliver a formal note of protest following a diplomatic dispute over national security rulings. The summons, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hamad Al-Mashaan, followed a statement from the Iranian embassy that Kuwait condemned as blatant interference in its internal affairs and an infringement on its judicial independence.
The tension began after Kuwait's State Security Court sentenced three defendants to death and eight others to five-year prison terms. The court found the defendants guilty of cooperating with Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah to plot the assassination of senior Kuwaiti officials.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran rejected these allegations as baseless, claiming the Iranian national involved had not been in Kuwait for ten years. The embassy characterized the accusations as a violation of international law and the principle of good neighborliness. In response, Kuwait urged Iran to respect the United Nations Charter and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, emphasizing the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states.
