The key facts
- Kuwait summoned Iranian ambassador Mohammad Tutunchi and handed him a note of protest on October 29
- On October 27, the court sentenced three people to death and eight others to five years in prison
- Iran's embassy denies the Iranian citizen's involvement in the plot; the verdicts may be appealed
Protest note following the embassy's statement
Kuwait summoned the Iranian ambassador, Mohammad Tutunchi, and handed him an official note of protest. According to The National, Deputy Foreign Minister Hamad Al Mashaan held the meeting on Wednesday, October 29, after the Iranian embassy rejected the charges against an Iranian citizen sentenced to death in Kuwait. Kuwait's Foreign Ministry described the embassy's statement as
The court verdict and Tehran's response
The dispute began after a ruling by Kuwait's criminal court on Monday: three men were sentenced to death on charges including espionage for Iran, cooperation with Lebanon's Hezbollah, and plotting to assassinate First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Youssef Saud Al Sabah. Eight others received five years in prison with hard labor. The court stated that organizing a group inside Kuwait to assassinate the official responsible for internal security on instructions from a foreign entity constitutes a hostile act against the state.
What is contested and what remains undetermined
The Iranian embassy stated that the Iranian citizen took no part in any plot against officials or threats to Kuwait's national security, and noted that the man had not been in Kuwait for the past 10 years, calling the charges baseless. The death sentences remain subject to appeal, meaning there is still no final ruling in the case. The National also notes that Kuwait and other Gulf states have faced security problems this year amid Iranian attacks and internal plots in support of the Tehran regime — this wording belongs to the outlet and reflects the context in which it places the dispute.