Kuwait summoned Iran’s envoy on Wednesday in a diplomatic protest following a public rejection by Tehran of allegations that an Iranian citizen sentenced to death in Kuwait was involved in an assassination plot targeting a top government figure.
Earlier in the week, two judicial sources in Kuwait disclosed that the Gulf state had condemned three Shia men to death. The individuals were accused of plotting the assassination of Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Fahad al-Yousef, collaborating with Iran, and holding membership in Hezbollah.
Among those condemned is Abdulredha Haydar Dahqani, an Iranian national who was previously handed a death penalty in 2016 following a trial in absentia alongside 25 Kuwaitis. In that earlier proceeding, Dahqani was convicted of espionage on behalf of Iran and plotting attacks.
The judicial sources identified another defendant as Hussein Abdallah al-Maatouq, a religious dignitary who serves as the secretary-general of the National Islamic Alliance, recognized as Kuwait’s most influential Shia movement.
In response to the judicial actions, the Iranian embassy in Kuwait issued a statement on Wednesday rejecting what it termed the Kuwaiti government’s claim regarding the involvement of an Iranian citizen in an assassination plot or any action threatening Kuwaiti national security. The embassy asserted that the individual in question had resided outside of Kuwait for a decade.
Furthermore, the embassy expressed regret regarding what it described as a negative approach toward Iran, citing the repetition of flimsy and worn-out scenarios concerning Iranian interference in domestic Kuwait affairs.
The embassy’s remarks prompted the Kuwaiti government to summon Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Toutounji. Kuwait officials stated that the diplomatic representation by the Iranian embassy constituted blatant interference in the internal affairs of the State of Kuwait, as well as an infringement upon its sovereignty and the independence of its judiciary.
