Kuwait Says It Exchanged Fire With IRGC-Linked Boat Near Bubiyan Island, Summons Iranian Ambassador

Kuwaiti forces intercepted a fishing boat earlier this month near Bubiyan Island and exchanged fire with IRGC-linked operatives, leaving one Kuwaiti officer wounded. Kuwait formally accused the IRGC-linked operatives of attempting an armed infiltration of Bubiyan Island this week. The incident prompted Kuwait to summon the Iranian ambassador and accuse Tehran of violating Kuwaiti sovereignty.

The UAE publicly backed Kuwait this week. com reported that the events have drawn fresh attention to the strategic narrow stretch of water near Bubiyan Island.

Bubiyan Island lies near the Khor Abdullah waterway, one of only two deep maritime approaches connecting Iraq to the Gulf. The Khor Abdullah waterway serves as the primary access route feeding Umm Qasr and surrounding Iraqi port infrastructure. Its navigable section runs closer to the Kuwaiti side near Bubiyan Island.

Iraq has opposed Kuwait’s Mubarak Al Kabeer port project for years. Baghdad fears Kuwait could dominate shipping traffic tied to Iraq’s Grand Faw port ambitions. Kuwait’s Mubarak Al Kabeer port project is tied into Kuwait Vision 2035 and broader trade corridors linked to Belt and Road commercial expansion.

4 million barrels per day of Iraqi crude exports moved through the broader northern Gulf operating zone tied to Basra. Tanker traffic leaving southern Iraq moves through the same maritime area surrounding Bubiyan before entering wider Gulf shipping lanes.

Military instability in the area directly affects tanker routing, maritime insurance costs, naval positioning and commercial shipping tied to Iraqi exports.