Kuwait court upgrades espionage sentence to life imprisonment in Iran-Hezbollah case

Kuwait court upgrades espionage sentence to life imprisonment in Iran-Hezbollah case

Kuwait's State Security Court of Appeal has sentenced a Kuwaiti national to life imprisonment after overturning an earlier 10-year jail term in a case involving espionage for Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. The defendant was found guilty of seeking to cooperate with foreign entities in activities deemed harmful to Kuwait's national security and sovereign interests.

The ruling comes against a backdrop of escalating security concerns in Kuwait. In late February 2026, Iran launched retaliatory strikes on American and Kuwaiti targets within Kuwait, resulting in four servicemembers killed and 77 wounded. The following months saw continued security incidents, including an alleged infiltration of Bubiyan Island by six members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps in May, which resulted in an armed exchange that injured one Kuwaiti soldier and led to the capture of four IRGC troops.

Training with Iran's Revolutionary Guard

According to court documents, the defendant travelled repeatedly to the Iranian city of Qom, where he met senior security figures and underwent intensive military training supervised by members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah. Qom serves as a recruitment hub for the IRGC's Quds Force, which recruits foreigners from religious seminaries and transfers them to training centers near the city.

Prosecutors said the training included the use of firearms and the operation of drones, with the aim of carrying out activities that threatened Kuwait's internal security. The IRGC's Quds Force provides guidance, training, funds and weapons to partners and proxies, primarily Shia militants in the Middle East including Hezbollah, and has conducted covert operations worldwide.

Part of broader security crackdown

The espionage conviction is part of a broader pattern of security investigations in Kuwait. In March 2026, Kuwait's Public Prosecution launched classified investigations into espionage and state security cases, ordering a total media blackout and prohibiting publication of any related information. That same month, Kuwaiti authorities arrested 16 people, including 14 Kuwaitis and two Lebanese, suspected of links with Hezbollah over an alleged sabotage plot, though Hezbollah denied having any members or networks in Kuwait.

Gulf Arab states designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 2016, and Kuwait has maintained this designation while previously convicting groups for spying for Iran and Hezbollah. In 2017, Kuwait arrested members of what became known as the Abdali Cell, a terrorist organization with ties to Iran and Hezbollah that planned attacks across Kuwait and allegedly received training from Hezbollah.

The heightened security measures reflect wider regional concerns. In June 2026, Bahrain sentenced at least two dozen people to prison on charges including espionage and conspiring with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, with three receiving life sentences, as prosecutors alleged Iran maintains espionage cells across the Gulf region.

Additional court rulings

In separate rulings issued during the same session, the State Security Court of Appeal overturned a three-year prison sentence imposed on a Kuwaiti woman accused of inciting sectarian tensions and promoting Hezbollah through WhatsApp and Snapchat, acquitting her of promoting the group and waiving punishment.

The court also upheld a three-year prison sentence for another Kuwaiti national convicted of insulting the Prophet Muhammad's companions, inciting sectarian discord and spreading false information to a bank during a period of heightened security tensions.