Kuwait summoned Iran's ambassador on Wednesday and handed him a formal protest over a statement by the Iranian embassy that it said interfered in the country's internal affairs and undermined the independence of its judiciary.
Kuwait's Foreign Ministry said Deputy Foreign Minister Hamad Suleiman Al-Mashaan summoned Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Toutounchi over the embassy's statement issued earlier on Wednesday.
The ministry described the statement as "blatant interference in the internal affairs of the State of Kuwait" and an infringement on its sovereignty and judicial independence, in violation of international laws and norms.
Kuwait strongly rejected any interference in rulings issued by its courts and urged Iran to respect international law, the UN Charter and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, particularly the principles of good neighborliness and noninterference in other countries' affairs.
Iran rejects accusations over assassination plot
The diplomatic dispute followed a Kuwaiti court ruling on Monday sentencing three men to death after convicting them of collaborating with Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah and plotting to assassinate senior Kuwaiti officials, including First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah.
Iran's embassy in Kuwait said it "categorically rejects" the Kuwaiti government's accusation that an Iranian citizen was involved in a plot to assassinate officials or in any activity threatening Kuwait's national security.
The embassy said the individual "has not been present in Kuwait during the past 10 years."
In its statement, the embassy expressed deep regret over what it described as a continued "negative approach toward Iran," citing repeated "baseless and worn-out scenarios" involving accusations of Iranian interference in Kuwaiti affairs.
It said making such "false accusations against Iranian citizens" violated international law and the principle of good neighborliness.
Referring to the US-Israeli military attacks on Iran, the embassy said countries in the region were expected to "adopt responsible and wise policies" to prevent further escalation of tensions affecting the wider region.
Kuwait court sentences three to death
Kuwait's State Security Criminal Court sentenced the three men on Monday over charges including espionage, plotting attacks, membership in an outlawed organization and activities harmful to national interests, according to Kuwait Times.
Prosecutors accused some of the defendants of planning to use explosives to assassinate senior officials, while one was accused of attempting to smuggle explosives into Kuwait.
The court said the defendants sought to undermine national security, create instability and weaken public confidence in the authorities' ability to maintain order.
AFP, citing judicial sources, identified one of those sentenced to death as Hussein Abdallah al-Maatouq, a religious figure and secretary-general of the National Islamic Alliance.
The death sentences are not final and remain subject to review by Kuwait's Court of Appeals.
Tensions rise across Persian Gulf region
The diplomatic dispute comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Persian Gulf countries during the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran.
Kuwait has pursued other cases involving suspected cooperation with Iran and Hezbollah. In July, a Kuwaiti appeals court sentenced a citizen to life imprisonment after overturning an earlier 10-year prison term in a case involving alleged cooperation with Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah.
Bahrain has also prosecuted people accused of working with Iran's Revolutionary Guards. In May, a Bahraini court sentenced nine defendants to life imprisonment and two others to three years over activities authorities linked to the Iranian force.
A senior Iranian official said on Wednesday that Qatar had presented Tehran with ideas that were unacceptable rather than a new peace proposal, casting doubt on diplomatic efforts to end the US-Israeli war on Iran as Washington weighs further military action.
The unnamed official told Reuters that Tehran would show no flexibility on the nuclear issue, a key point of dispute in efforts to reach an agreement.
The remarks came hours after Reuters cited another unnamed official briefed on the negotiations as saying that Qatari mediators had presented Iran with a new draft agreement in Tehran on Sunday, with a response expected by the end of the week.
Qatar pushes seven-day agreement
According to the official briefed on the negotiations, the draft sets out a seven-day timeline to address concerns on both sides, requiring each side to take daily confidence-building steps.
The process could begin early next week, while several countries would act as guarantors of the agreement. The official also said there had been concerns ahead of Sunday's meeting in Tehran that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could resume attacks on Iran this week.
Trump leaves military options open
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to rule out further strikes on Iran after the November 3 US midterm elections, saying "anything is possible."
"I can't tell you that," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland when asked whether he planned to attack Iran after the elections. "But anything is possible."
Trump said Iran wanted an agreement and might be waiting until after the elections, but warned that delaying a deal "is not going to help."
"We've decimated their military. We've decimated the finances. They have no money. They have inflation the highest in the world, 300 percent. The government is gone. But we'll see what happens," Trump said.
His remarks came as the Wall Street Journal reported that Washington had warned several Arab states in the Persian Gulf to prepare for a possible short, intense military campaign against Iran after the elections.
US and Israel prepare for possible strikes
The United States has sent warnings through diplomatic and military channels as Washington and Israel prepare for a possible new round of attacks aimed at weakening Tehran and pushing it toward negotiations, the Journal reported, citing people briefed on the discussions.
The US military is moving a Patriot missile defense system from Texas to strengthen regional defenses and has relocated troops from vulnerable bases in preparation for a possible escalation, according to the report.
US forces have also been replenishing munitions, while bombers and fighter jets are being prepared for potential operations.
An additional aircraft carrier strike group and a Marine expeditionary unit are expected to join roughly 20 US warships in the Middle East next month, although some vessels could rotate out, the Journal reported.
Trump has not made a final decision but is leaning toward a large-scale attack after the elections that could target Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with his thinking.
Israel has also prepared plans and identified targets for possible strikes, while Netanyahu has pushed for renewed military action against Iran, according to the report.
The White House declined to comment on "sensitive military plans that may or may not exist," but said Trump "keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."
Two men appeared in a London court on Tuesday over an incident at a British air base used by US bombers to strike Iran, with prosecutors alleging that one of them sought to assist Iranian intelligence.
British national Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, a 24-year-old dual British-Iranian national, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on charges under Britain's National Security Act.
RAF Fairford in southwest England had been used by US bombers carrying out strikes on Iran. The aircraft were withdrawn on security grounds shortly after five British men were arrested outside the base in the early hours of September 27.
Prosecutors said Abdulkarim arranged for five men to travel to the base in three vans at the request of a man identified only as “Ali.”
The group bought around £300 ($400) worth of petrol and stored it in drums, prosecutor Louise Gray told the court.
“One of them was told there was a bomb in the van,” Gray said. One of the men then called the emergency services, prompting police to arrive.
Abdulkarim, who appeared in court in a wheelchair, is charged with engaging in conduct likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service between August 31 and September 28.
Reconnaissance of US-used base
Essghir was first arrested outside RAF Fairford on September 27 and is accused of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom on August 22.
Prosecutors said he had carried out reconnaissance of the base in August on instructions from “Ali” and was also in one of the vans that returned to Fairford the following month.
After the men were told there was a bomb in the van, Essghir messaged “Ali” asking “wtf (what the fuck) is going on,” Gray said. He received no reply.
The circumstances surrounding the September incident have remained largely unexplained and attracted international attention amid heightened concerns about the security repercussions of the US-Iran war for Western countries.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said earlier this month that the activity at RAF Fairford was likely coordinated in Iran. Tehran's ambassador to Britain denied the allegation.
Abdulkarim was granted bail and is due to appear in court again in November, while Essghir was remanded in custody.
Police said six other people remain on bail, including four British nationals arrested outside RAF Fairford on September 27.
The decision to release suspects on bail following the incident had drawn scrutiny. Police said on Tuesday that doing so had helped investigators secure the charges against Abdulkarim and Essghir.
Regional powers are intensifying efforts to prevent a wider war with Iran, but their diplomacy comes with explicit demands of Tehran: reopen the Strait of Hormuz, stop threatening Persian Gulf states and allow international nuclear inspectors to work without obstruction.
Qatar and Pakistan, two of the principal mediators between Tehran and Washington, made those demands publicly on Tuesday, just one day after Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish officials traveled to Tehran for talks.
The military and security makeup of the delegation reflected the two tracks regional powers are pursuing: diplomacy aimed at containing the conflict alongside deeper defense cooperation in case it spreads.
The parallel efforts reveal the limits of the latest diplomatic push. These countries want to prevent another round of war, but they also want changes in Iranian behavior and are preparing to protect their interests if talks produce none.
After a Qatari delegation visited Tehran earlier this week, Doha said Tuesday that Iran needed to show “good intentions” for mediation efforts to succeed.
A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson called on Tehran to stop threatening Persian Gulf Arab states and open the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan also set out what it expects of Tehran at the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Its representative pointed to the June Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States as evidence that diplomatic progress remained possible, while insisting that the International Atomic Energy Agency be allowed to operate without obstruction.
Islamabad said it continued to seek a ceasefire, reduce tensions and create conditions for renewed negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Preparing for failure
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey are strengthening military cooperation under the Mecca defense pact. Talks with Tehran therefore do not mean military preparations have stopped.
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and insecurity along maritime routes have imposed serious costs on the kingdom and affected countries across the region and beyond. For Riyadh, de-escalation with Iran is closely linked to protecting infrastructure, trade and economic stability.
On October 23, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the R4 group, held talks with Britain, France, Germany and Italy in Istanbul. Their joint statement stressed resolving disputes through dialogue and reducing tensions.
The R4 statement emphasized diplomacy but also condemned Houthi attacks, expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s government and called for safe and unhindered passage through Hormuz. These are not the positions of countries offering Tehran unconditional support.
Before Istanbul, the possibility emerged of an informal division of labor: direct US and Israeli pressure on Iran on one track, with regional states seeking to contain the consequences of the war, particularly Houthi attacks, on another. The subsequent diplomacy does not rule that out.
Better protection for Saudi Arabia could indirectly benefit US operations, but that does not establish a coordinated strategy or secret agreement. Nor can regional states be treated as part of the same coalition as Israel.
Their opposition to expanding attacks on Iran and continued contacts with Tehran point to different objectives, even if some of their actions have complementary effects.
Two visions of security
The Tehran meeting also exposed sharply different interpretations of what regional diplomacy is intended to achieve.
Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, described the talks in terms of “endogenous security,” presenting Iran’s defense model as a basis for regional security and linking cooperation with Tehran to countering US and Israeli involvement.
Tehran is seeking to show that despite the war and pressure it faces, it remains indispensable to discussions about the region’s future. But the presence of foreign officials in Tehran does not by itself amount to endorsement of that vision.
Riyadh has emphasized de-escalation, a diplomatic solution and support for Qatari and Pakistani mediation, without suggesting either acceptance of Tehran’s security model or a reduced US role in the region.
Qatar’s latest demands suggest that regional diplomacy is not an embrace of Tehran’s position but an attempt to change its behavior while avoiding a wider war.
Pakistan’s position adds another condition: renewed diplomacy should go alongside unobstructed international oversight of Iran’s nuclear program.
Diplomacy, with limits
The Tehran talks were not an isolated attempt at mediation. Pakistan and Qatar helped secure the June Iran-US memorandum, and both have continued trying to revive negotiations.
The renewed mediation efforts amid a major US military buildup and Israeli threats show that regional countries still see space for diplomacy. But their public demands also demonstrate how far they remain from Tehran on some of the central issues driving the crisis.
The presence in Tehran of Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman carried particular weight. His previous visit was on April 17, 2025, less than two months before Israel launched its June attacks on Iran.
Regional governments are therefore trying to preserve the possibility of an Iran-US agreement without tying their security to its success. They want to contain Houthi attacks, protect Saudi Arabia and keep Hormuz open, while avoiding a wider confrontation with Iran.
That balancing act is becoming harder. Diplomacy remains active, but so do preparations for what happens if it fails.
Voting in Israel's election was drawing to a close Tuesday, with Iran a central issue and turnout reaching its highest level at this stage since 1988.
Early exit polls in Israel's parliamentary elections on Tuesday pointed to a divided Knesset, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition nor the opposition securing enough seats to form a majority on its own.
Projections by Israel's Channels 12 and 13 showed the two blocs closely matched, with Arab parties collectively holding a potentially decisive number of seats in the 120-member parliament.
Channel 12 projected 52 seats for the opposition bloc, 50 for Netanyahu's bloc and 18 for Arab parties. Channel 13 put the opposition at 53 seats, Netanyahu's bloc at 50 and Arab parties at 17. Both projections left the main blocs short of the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.
The exit polls are preliminary and could change as votes are counted.
Record vote
“We have surpassed all the records kept by the Central Elections Committee,” acting director general Dean Livne said. “There hasn’t been such a nationwide voter turnout since 1973.”
Long lines prompted election officials to say polling stations would remain open beyond their scheduled 10 p.m. closing time if voters were still waiting.
“We promise, everyone will vote,” Livne said. “If there is a line at 10 p.m., the polling stations will continue to operate until everyone who arrived by 10 p.m. has voted.”
Iran factor
Iran has featured prominently in the closing days of the campaign.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu clashed with military chief Eyal Zamir over proposed action related to Iran that Zamir feared could trigger renewed conflict. Netanyahu denied the reports, while Defense Minister Israel Katz called reports of a rift baseless.
Eisenkot backed Zamir, accusing Netanyahu of putting his political survival ahead of national security and warning that he would not allow the military to become a tool in Netanyahu’s “campaign of survival.”
Another opposition leader, Avigdor Liberman, went further, saying any attempt to drag Israel into military action to prevent the election would amount to treason.
Eisenkot, like Netanyahu, says Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons and has backed military strikes against its nuclear program.
But he has rejected Netanyahu’s pursuit of regime change in Tehran as an achievable military objective and argued for combining economic pressure and diplomacy with military action when necessary.
Earlier this month, Eisenkot said another attack would be justified if Iran were making a dash for a nuclear weapon, but said he was unaware of any development requiring an immediate strike.
The result is being followed closely in Iran, where Israel’s next government will inherit decisions over whether and under what circumstances to resume military action against Tehran.
A Kuwaiti court sentenced three men to death after convicting them of collaborating with Iran and Hezbollah and plotting to assassinate senior officials, including First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah.
Kuwait Times reported that the State Security Criminal Court’s anti-terrorism division handed down the sentences on Monday over charges including espionage, planning attacks against Kuwait, membership in an outlawed organization and actions deemed harmful to national interests.
The death sentences are not final and are subject to review by Kuwait’s Court of Appeals.
Explosives alleged in assassination plan
Prosecutors accused some of the defendants of preparing to use explosives in the assassination plot, while one was accused of attempting to smuggle explosives into Kuwait for use in the planned attacks.
The court said the defendants sought to undermine state security, create instability and weaken public confidence in the authorities’ ability to maintain order, according to Kuwait Times.
AFP, citing two judicial sources, identified one of those sentenced to death as Hussein Abdallah al-Maatouq, a religious figure and secretary-general of the National Islamic Alliance. The sources said another of the three had previously been convicted on terrorism charges in 2016, later pardoned by Kuwait’s emir and arrested again in April.
Similar cases in Kuwait
The ruling follows another Iran- and Hezbollah-linked espionage case in Kuwait earlier this year.
In July, Kuwait’s State Security Court of Appeal sentenced a Kuwaiti citizen to life imprisonment after overturning an earlier 10-year term. Local reporting said he had been convicted of cooperating with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah and had traveled to Qom, where prosecutors said he received weapons and drone training.
The allegations in that case included meetings with security figures linked to Iran and Hezbollah and preparations for activity deemed harmful to Kuwait’s national security.
Bahrain has also prosecuted alleged IRGC networks
Bahrain has brought several similar cases this year involving alleged cooperation with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
In May, a Bahraini court sentenced nine defendants to life imprisonment and two others to three years after convicting them of collaborating with the IRGC in what authorities described as hostile and terrorist activities against the kingdom.
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry had earlier said it arrested dozens of people it linked to the IRGC as authorities investigated alleged networks operating during the wider regional conflict.
The cases have unfolded amid heightened tensions between Iran and states across the Persian Gulf, with governments in the region increasing scrutiny of alleged Iranian-linked security and espionage networks.