Iran’s Foreign Ministry has dismissed as “utterly baseless and rejected” Kuwait’s accusations that Tehran was planning hostile acts against the Gulf state.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry strongly condemned what it described as Kuwait’s “improper action” in “politically and propagandistically exploiting” the case of four Iranian personnel who it said had been on a routine naval patrol and entered Kuwaiti territorial waters due to a navigational system malfunction, News.Az reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.

The ministry reiterated Iran’s “principled policy” of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all regional countries, including Kuwait, and said it expects Kuwaiti authorities to avoid “hasty statements and baseless allegations” and instead pursue the matter through official channels.

It also called for Iran’s embassy in Kuwait to be granted “the fastest possible access” to the detained Iranian nationals in line with international legal norms, and urged their immediate release.

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it had summoned the Iranian ambassador and delivered a note of protest, alleging that Iranian armed personnel had “infiltrated” Bubiyan Island and clashed with Kuwaiti forces.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, Kuwait’s Interior Ministry also claimed that a group linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had attempted to enter the island.

News.Az