Following a news release announcing that the Kuwaiti government has shut down Iranian Cultural and Military Affairs Offices in Kuwait and its decision to reduce the number of Iranian diplomats operating in Kuwait from 19 to 4, Kuwait's caretaker in Tehran was summoned today by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
"While rejecting the accusations, Iran expresses regret on measures taken by Kuwaiti officials amid tensions in the region and in such a critical condition; we expect Kuwait to act rationally instead of responding to pressures and worsening the tensions," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said.
He continued "Islamic Republic had no relations to the mentioned case and had announced this before; Iran has always been responsible with regards to the regional countries including Kuwait."
Ghasemi underlined that Foreign Ministry's right to take reciprocal measures is preserved and required decisions would be agreed upon soon.
Kuwait has reportedly told the Iranian Embassy to reduce its diplomatic staff in the Persian Gulf state and close down some of its technical offices following a court ruling last year that implicated some Iranians in a spying case known as the “Abdali cell.”.
According to Press TV, In August 2015 Kuwait said it had busted the 26-member cell and seized arms, ammunition and explosives from them. Kuwaiti courts convicted members of the so-called “Abdali cell” of working for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement. The defendants were also charged with possessing weapons, smuggling explosives, and planning "hostile actions" inside Kuwait.
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