Close US ally Kuwait finds itself under growing political pressure from its neighbor Iraq, related to the ongoing Iran war.
Angry crowds stormed the Kuwaiti consulate in Iraq's southern Basra governorate on Tuesday after rockets which came from the direction of Kuwait killed three people, according to police sources cited by Reuters and Al Arabiya.
Neither Kuwaiti nor Iraqi officials issued immediate public statements, and the rocket incident remains a mystery in terms of its origin or the motives behind the attack.
It may have been a missile fired on Kuwait from Iran, which errantly crossed the border and landed on Iraqi homes:
At least three people were killed and five others wounded when rockets fired from the direction of Kuwait hit a house in Khor al-Zubair near Basra, security and health officials told Reuters.
Protesters are angry at Kuwait's role in the war, as it has played host to American forces, and reportedly has been a staging ground for US raids into Iran.
The crowds seem to have effective control over the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra...
This marks a sharp escalation along the sensitive Iraq-Kuwait border as the wider Gulf region faces sustained fallout from weeks of Iranian drone and missile strikes targeting neighboring states, including Kuwait. Iraq has a majority Shia population, and its major political players remain sympathetic to the plight of Iran.
Meanwhile Kuwait is telling its some 5 million citizens to shelter in place amid President Trump's threat to obliterate civilian infrastructure inside Iran:
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior urged those in the country to shelter in place for six hours early Wednesday, which overlaps with President Trump’s 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday deadline for the Iranian government to lift restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz.
In a Tuesday post on social platform X, the ministry instructed Kuwaiti citizens and residents to “remain in their homes and avoid going out, except in cases of utmost necessity” from midnight to 6 a.m. local time Wednesday. Trump’s deadline hits at 3 a.m. in Kuwait.
The Gulf states have bore the brunt of Iran's retaliation, along with Israel, after over a month since the start of Operation Epic Fury. Tehran says that if its critical infrastructure is hit, such as water desalination plants, then it will do the same to America's allies in the region.