\n<\/p>\n
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 Kuwait accused Iran of launching a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is helping build a port in the Middle East nation. <\/p>\n
The accusation brought Tuesday came just before U.S. President Donald Trump was to depart for Beijing<\/a><\/span> where he\u2019ll meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a high-stakes visit<\/a><\/span> over the war and other issues.<\/p>\n Iran didn\u2019t immediately acknowledge the allegation by Kuwait, which came under attack by Iran in the war<\/a><\/span> and during the shaky ceasefire<\/a><\/span> still holding. But that allegation and ongoing attacks throughout the region have threatened to reignite open warfare. <\/p>\n The narrow Strait of Hormuz<\/a><\/span> remains in Iran\u2019s chokehold, the U.S. is maintaining a blockade against Iran and negotiations between the two countries appear at a standstill.<\/p>\n With the risk of the conflict breaking out again, Israel has sent Iron Dome<\/a><\/span> air-defense weapons and personnel to operate them in the United Arab Emirates to defend the country during the war, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said. <\/p>\n That underlined the growing relationship between Israel and the UAE, both long suspicious of Iran. It also represents the first publicly acknowledged deployment of Israel\u2019s military to the Emirates, home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai.<\/p>\n Kuwait said a paramilitary Revolutionary Guard team tried to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf near Iraq and Iran on May 1.<\/p>\n It accused the team of planning to carry out \u201chostile acts,\u201d without elaborating.<\/p>\n Kuwait said it detained four men, and that two escaped when its forces disrupted the attack. Kuwait said one of its security officials was wounded. <\/p>\n Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of China\u2019s \u201cBelt and Road\u201d initiative. That project also came under Iranian attack during the war. <\/p>\n Kuwait provided no reason for why it delayed linking the attack to Iran after initially announcing it on May 3 without any details. Trump is traveling this week to China for a summit where Iran will likely be a main topic. Beijing long has been a buyer of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and has been hurt by the strait\u2019s closure, which has sparked a global energy crisis. <\/p>\n U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee<\/a><\/span>, a one-time presidential candidate, revealed at a conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, that Israel has sent Iron Dome<\/a><\/span> air-defense to the UAE.<\/p>\n The United Arab Emirates<\/a><\/span> diplomatically recognized Israel<\/a><\/span> in 2020. That drew criticism from Iran, long Israel\u2019s main regional enemy. Iran didn\u2019t immediately respond to Huckabee\u2019s remarks, though it has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates. <\/p>\n The Israeli military declined to comment on Huckabee\u2019s statement about the Iron Dome while the UAE didn\u2019t immediately respond. <\/p>\n The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, was quoted as making comments similar to Huckabee\u2019s during an event at the Israeli mission \u2014 suggesting the release of the information was intentional, likely with the Emiratis\u2019 and Israelis\u2019 blessing. <\/p>\n The UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached last month. It has been trying to signal to nervous investors and the public that it remains open for business and safe.<\/p>\n Huckabee added that he was \u201cvery optimistic\u201d that additional countries in the region will soon join the Abraham Accords, the 2020 diplomatic recognition deal that also included the Gulf Arab kingdom of Bahrain, for formal relations with Israel. <\/p>\n However, many Arab states remain incensed by Israel\u2019s wide-ranging military campaigns after Hamas\u2019 2023 attack on the country. The Gaza Strip has been leveled and Iran\u2019s allies have been attacked across the region.<\/p>\n Huckabee sought to shore up U.S. support for the recent war, suggesting that \u201cIsrael is the appetizer, America has always been the entr\u00e9e\u201d for Iran\u2019s theocracy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Gulf states now understood they will have to make a choice \u2014 is it more likely they will be attacked by Iran or Israel?\u201d Huckabee asked. \u201cThey see that Israel helped us and Iran attacked us. Israel is not trying to take over your land, and is not sending missiles to you.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told members of Congress Tuesday that the military was not running low on bombs and missiles amid concerns about its stockpiles.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know exactly what we have, we have plenty of what we need,\u201d he said while facing tough questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers who oversee defense spending.<\/p>\n Hegseth avoided going into specifics about the next steps in Iran. \u201cWe have a plan to escalate if necessary. We have a plan to retrograde if necessary. We have a plan to shift assets,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n The Pentagon\u2019s top budget official told Congress that the cost of the war is close to $29 billion so far \u2014 that\u2019s up from an estimate of $25 billion just two weeks ago. <\/p>\n Prosecutors in Bahrain said Tuesday that at least two dozen people were handed prison sentences on charges including espionage and conspiring with Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard. They said three were sentenced to life. Others received shorter Iran-related sentences.<\/p>\n Bahrain \u2014 an island nation ruled by a Sunni Muslim monarchy with a Shiite-majority population \u2014 has sentenced dozens on Iran-related charges since the start of the war. Prosecutors and the Interior Ministry have alleged that Iran maintains cells that carry out espionage and help identify targets there. Rights groups say the island nation has widened a crackdown on dissidents during the war, as well as on Shiites.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press reporters Sam Metz in Ramallah, West Bank, and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nKuwait alleges Iran planned attack<\/h2>\n
Huckabee says Israel deployed to UAE<\/h2>\n
Huckabee urges other Gulf states to recognize Israel<\/h2>\n
Hegseth tells Congress: \u2018We have a plan\u2019<\/h2>\n
Bahrain sentences two dozen over alleged Iran ties<\/h2>\n