Kuwait's Ministry of Defense alleged that a six-person team of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members attempted to commit "hostile acts" on Bubiyan Island on May 1, though the intended target and nature of the IRGC's plan were unclear, AP reported on May 12.

Kuwait's Bubiyan Island is geographically close to western Iran and hosts military and commercial institutions, as well as Mubarak Al Kabeer Port. Earlier in the Iran war, the United States repositioned some military assets to Bubiyan Island from Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, and Iran targeted the island in drone attacks. Other Gulf countries, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, have arrested scores of IRGC-linked individuals accused of spying since the start of the Iran war.