Kuwait and
Iran have longstanding historical ties spanning hundreds of years, particularly in the pre-oil era. Relations were negatively influenced by the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
in 1979 and the
Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. Relations improved after the
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
20th century
Historically, Kuwait had
close political, economic, and cultural ties to Iran. In 1961, Kuwait became an independent country gaining its sovereignty. In the 1980s, Kuwait sided with
Iraq during the
Iran-Iraq War.
As for the result, Iranian–Kuwaiti relations were damaged and Iran had placed Kuwaiti ships, including tankers, under attack. Kuwait's relations with Iran later improved when Iran denounced Iraq for invading Kuwait in the
Gulf War at 1991.
Recent history
Iran's foreign policy shifted with the election of more hardline Ahmadinejad in 2005, negatively influenced its relationship with the international community. Things improved when Hassan Rouhani came to power in 2013. In 2014, Kuwait Foreign Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah said its keen on developing "excellent and historical" relationship with Iran.
Kuwait is concerned about Iranian regional ambitions, finding Iranian influence in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon not welcomed. However, Kuwait continues to maintain friendly relations with Iran.
In 2018, after U.S. President
Donald Trump announced the
United States withdrawal from the
Iran nuclear deal Kuwait opted to maintain formal ties with Iran while
Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain, and the
United Arab Emirates voiced strong support for the withdrawal.
Previously Kuwait declined to follow Saudi Arabia's lead in severing diplomatic relations following the
2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran
The 2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran was a mob action on 2 January 2016 by protesters against the execution of a prominent Saudi Arabian Shi'a cleric. Mobs stormed the embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate in Mashhad and r ...
.
In 2018, Kuwait's announced plans for economic development, such as the "
Silk City project", includes developing mutually beneficial economic ties with Iran (similar to Iran's current economic ties with
Dubai of the
United Arab Emirates).
During the outbreak of the
COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Kuwait provided US$10 million in humanitarian aid to Iran.
On March 26, 2022, Iran said that an agreement signed this week by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to develop the Durra gas field was "illegal" since Tehran has a stake in the field and must be included in any move to operate and develop it.
On April 13, 2022, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait invited Iran to conduct talks on Wednesday to define the eastern border of a combined, energy-rich offshore area, according to the Saudi state news agency SPA.
Historical migrations
'Ajam of Kuwait
Ajam of Kuwait or Ayam of Kuwait are Kuwaiti citizens of Iranian origin, who migrated to Kuwait over the past 300 years. Historically, Persian ports provided most of Kuwait's economic needs. Marafi Behbahani was one of the first merchants to set ...
(Persians of Kuwait) are Kuwaiti citizens of
Iranian origin, who migrated to
Kuwait over the last couple of hundred years.
Historically, Persian ports provided most of Kuwait's economic needs.
Marafi Behbahani was one of the first merchants to settle in Kuwait in the 18th century.
Most
Shia Kuwaiti citizens are of Iranian ancestry. However, many Kuwaitis of Iranian origin are Sunni Muslims such as the
Al-Kandari The Al Kandari family is a large family in Kuwait. They are of Sunni Muslim Larestani ancestry. The Al Kandari family is not a tribe; as each family may have different ancestors. Therefore the Al Kandari family is simply a sizable family with variou ...
and
Awadhi families of
Larestani ancestry.
Some Kuwaitis of
Iranian Balochi origin are Sunni Muslim.
Balochi families first immigrated to Kuwait in the 19th century.
The
Persian sub-dialects of
Larestani, Khonji, Bastaki and Gerashi have influenced the vocabulary of
Kuwaiti Arabic
Kuwaiti (in Kuwaiti accent , ) is a Gulf Arabic dialect spoken in Kuwait. Kuwaiti Arabic shares many phonetic features unique to Gulf dialects spoken in the Arabian Peninsula. Due to Kuwait's soap opera industry, knowledge of Kuwaiti Arabic ha ...
.
Further reading
Rerouting the Persian Gulf: The Transnationalization of Iranian Migrant Networks, c.1900–1940The Shia Migration from Southwestern Iran to Kuwait: Push-Pull Factors during the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth CenturiesKuwait and Iran: Mutual Contact in the Pre-oil EraBetween Modern and National Education: The ‘Ajam Schools of Bahrain and Kuwait
See also
* 'Ajam of Kuwait
Ajam of Kuwait or Ayam of Kuwait are Kuwaiti citizens of Iranian origin, who migrated to Kuwait over the past 300 years. Historically, Persian ports provided most of Kuwait's economic needs. Marafi Behbahani was one of the first merchants to set ...
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kuwait)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the governmental bodies of Kuwait and part of the cabinet. It was started in 1961.
History and overview
In 1961, a Foreign Affairs Department Bureau was established in Kuwait to organize the foreign rel ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iran-Kuwait relations
Kuwait
Iran