Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait Ambassador Hamad Sulaiman Al-Masha’an, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Ambassador for the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Toutounji to deliver a protest note following the alleged “infiltration of an armed group associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard into Bubiyan Island”. Photo: MFA Kuwait/X

Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior announced on Tuesday, May 12, the arrest of four people they say are affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while they were allegedly trying to infiltrate the country.

The ministry added that during interrogation, the suspects confessed being tasked with sneaking into Bubiyan Island “to carry out hostile acts against Kuwait.”

**Iran rejects Kuwait’s accusations as “**utterly baseless”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday, May 13, condemning Kuwait’s “improper action” against the four Iranian personnel.

The ministry clarified that the personnel accidentally entered Kuwaiti territorial waters due to a navigational system malfunction, while on a routine naval patrol mission.

Tehran slammed the Gulf state for “politically and propagandistically exploiting” the incident, while reaffirming “its principled policy of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the region, including Kuwait”.

It also urged the Kuwaiti authorities to immediately release the detained Iranian nationals, and called on the Arab country to “avoid hasty statements and baseless allegations”, and “to pursue the existing issues through official channels.”

US-backed Gulf states have seemingly adopted the same propaganda warfare

Kuwait’s accusations against Iran came a few days after Bahrain had announced the arrest of 41 individuals allegedly linked with the IRGC on its soil.

Analysts suggest that both Gulf states have resorted to accusing the IRGC of orchestrating security plots on their territories as part of a propaganda campaign, which potentially aims to influence public opinion and justify their involvement in the US-Israeli aggression against Iran. Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain were quick to release their own statements echoing Kuwait’s accusations.

Like Bahrain and other US-backed Gulf states, Kuwait has cracked down on people who peacefully expressed their opinions about the unprovoked regional aggression on Iran on social media.

Dozens of citizens were arbitrarily arrested by Kuwait’s state security apparatus, including elderly people, women, and young children in need of care, according to rights groups. Prominent Kuwaiti-American journalist, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, was also arrested last March for the same reason.

It is worth noting that Kuwait hosts key US military installations including Camp Arifjan, Camp Buehring, Ali Al Salem Air Base and Kuwait Naval Base (Camp Patriot), which facilitate the movement, training, and logistics of US troops across the West Asia region.

US Marines with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit

The pro-resistance Handala hacking group says it has access to the identities of tens of thousands of “terrorist” US Navy personnel in retaliation for the crimes committed during the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, including the murder of schoolchildren in Minab.

“We have sent a direct message to US Marines via WhatsApp and said: ‘Those who thought their identities were hidden, think again; the identities of tens of thousands of US Navy personnel, from operational bases to recreational activities and off-duty patrols, are fully known to us’,” Handala said in a statement.

The message added, “We will deal with you terrorists whose hands are stained with the blood of Minab students. We suggest you contact your families right now and say your final goodbyes.”

The US and Israel launched an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran on February 28, killing over 3,300 Iranians.

On the very first day of the war, the US-Israeli attacks targeted a girls’ elementary school in Minab in southern Iran, killing at least 168 children.

Last month, Handala announced that its team gained full access to data belonging to FBI Director Kash Patel.

Questioning “the security that the US government boasts about,” the group declared to the world that the FBI “is just a name, and behind this name, there is no real security.”

Handala stated that the cyberattack came after the FBI announced a $10 million reward for the capture of its members.

The group also has a proven track record of targeting high-level Israeli figures, exposing their secrets and contributing to the psychological and information warfare against the regime.

The Hamas Movement has condemned the new massacres that were committed on Friday by the Israeli occupation army in the Gaza Strip, blaming ceasefire mediators and sponsors for failing to rein in Israel’s crimes.

“The escalation of bombardment and killings in the Strip underscores the impotence of mediators and the international community, as well as their unjustified reluctance to assume responsibility for halting the ongoing crimes against Palestinians,” Hamas said in a statement Friday night.

Hamas said the Israeli occupation commits its brutal and fascist crimes in Gaza without any regard for the consequences.

The Movement called on the international community and all concerned parties to take immediate action to protect the Palestinian people and pressure the Israeli government to honor its obligations under the ceasefire agreement and respect the rules of international humanitarian law.

It also urged the world’s peoples to step up their pressure on Israel and its supporters and intensify all forms of boycott campaigns.

On Friday, 13 citizens were killed and several others were wounded following Israeli air and artillery strikes in different areas of the Gaza Strip.

At least 34 Iranian-linked oil tankers have successfully breached a U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, according to tracking data from Vortexa published Wednesday.

The data show that 19 vessels slipped past the cordon while exiting the Gulf of Oman, and another 15 entered the gulf en route to Iran from the Arabian Sea. Six of those tankers carried a combined 10.7 million barrels of crude, worth an estimated $910 million in revenue for Tehran.

RELATED: Trump Administration To Punish NATO Allies Over Lack of Support in War on Iran

The figures directly contradict Trump’s Tuesday assessment of the blockade, which the administration says is designed to pressure Iran into a peace agreement. Trump called the operation highly effective.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) offered a different metric, reporting that the U.S. Navy has forced 28 Iranian vessels to turn back to port since the restrictions began.

Washington imposed the naval blockade on April 13, initially targeting Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman, despite a truce agreed just days earlier. On April 16, the White House expanded the restrictions to include any high-seas vessels carrying goods deemed useful to the conflict.

In response, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz — the world’s most critical chokepoint for oil shipments — aiming to neutralize maritime traffic through the waterway.

On Tuesday, April 21, as the initial truce period expired, Trump announced a ceasefire extension, citing a request from Pakistan.

Author: Victor Miranda

Source: agencies

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Chilling + vibing + building green ammonia supply chain :)

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USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) floated from a drydock at Ingalls Shipbuilding on Dec. 6, 2024. HII Photo

Three sailors were injured in a fire aboard destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) at HII Ingalls Shipbuilding on Sunday, USNI News has learned.

The ship fire was reported at approximately 9:45 p.m. while Zumwalt was pierside at the Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard, a Naval Surface Force spokesperson confirmed Wednesday in a statement to USNI News. The blaze was extinguished by the crew, the spokesperson said.

One sailor was transported to a local hospital for treatment for injuries related to the fire and is in stable condition. Two other sailors received first aid at the scene.

“The Navy is investigating the cause of the fire and determining the extent of the damage onboard,” the statement reads.

The guided-missile destroyer has been at Ingalls for a modernization period since August 2023, following the Navy’s decision to replace the long-range gun system with missile tubes to field long-range hypersonic missiles to turn the destroyers into blue-water strike platforms.

Shortly after arrival, Zumwalt was moved onto land where the Ingalls team completed major technology upgrades. The upgrades included integrating the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system and replacing the original twin 155mm Advanced Gun Systems with new missile tubes. In December 2024, Zumwalt was undocked and underwent further preparations for operational readiness.

In January, the destroyer took to sea for the first time in nearly three years after the installation of large missile tubes capable of fielding hypersonic strike weapons, USNI News previously reported.

The following is the complete statement from U.S. Naval Surface Forces, received April 22:

“At approximately 9:45 p.m. PST, Sunday, April 19, 2026, a fire was reported aboard Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) pierside at Pascagoula, Mississippi. The crew responded immediately and extinguished the fire. Three Sailors received treatment for injuries sustained in the incident and are in stable condition. One was transported to a local hospital and the two other Sailors received first-aid at the scene. The Navy is investigating the cause of the fire and determining the extent of the damage onboard.”

Caitlyn Burchett

Caitlyn Burchett is the managing editor of USNI News. She previously covered the Navy and Marine Corps for Stars and Stripes and regional defense news for The Virginian-Pilot. Follow @CaitlynBurchett