KUWAIT CITY, April 11: Concern about suspicious Iranian activity in Kuwait resumed at the National Assembly on Monday. Islamist MP Mohammed Hayef forwarded questions to various state ministers requesting information on Iranian presence in the country.

Hayef inquired the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Ahmed Al-Haroun, about Iranian companies in Kuwait, their activities and licenses, and whether there are Kuwaiti companies who are funded by Iranian businessmen. He also requested information from Minister of Labor and Social Affairs and the Minister of Interior about the number of Iranian residents in Kuwait, the number of Iranians working in government entities and the number of visas issued to the expatriates from Iran.

Relations between the State of Kuwait and the Islamic Republic of Iran have been strained since Kuwait claimed to have discovered an Iranian spy ring working in the Gulf state. It accused the network of giving information on Kuwait to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

On March 29, Kuwait condemned to death two Iranians and a Kuwaiti national, who were serving in Kuwait’s army, for belonging to an Iranian spy ring. A Syrian and a stateless Arab were also handed life terms for their involvement. Kuwait recalled its ambassador from Tehran a day after the court’s decision.

Furthermore, Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Al-Sabah, confirmed on March 31 that there is a conspiracy to destabilize the security of Kuwait and that three Iranian diplomats will be expelled from the country for their alleged involvement in a spy network. On April 2, Kuwait expelled the three Iranian diplomats who were working with the Iranian Embassy.

Denied
For its part, Iran denied the accusations and expelled three Kuwaiti diplomats in retaliation. Iranian MP Hussein Naqwi Husseini was quoted as saying that Kuwait’s alleged discovery of an Iranian espionage network is part of the implementation of the American agenda to suppress popular uprisings.

Meanwhile, Islamist MP Daifallah Buramiya claims that that there are eight more Iranian spy networks in Kuwait that have yet to be discovered. He stressed that Iran’s insistence on denying the existence of its spy networks will further harm the relations between both countries.

On another note, he said that France’s ban of the face veil (niqab), which was enforced on Monday, will strain the relations between the European country and Islamic states. He said that France’s economy will be harmed as a result and added that if France was faced with Islamic and Arab pressure it will reverse its decision.

On his part, Tribal MP Khaled Al-Adwah said that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a friendly nation towards Kuwait and there are strong historic ties between the two countries. He warned, however, that Kuwait refuses any interference by Iran in its internal affairs. Al-Adwah added that Kuwait’s just courts have convicted members of the spy network and so the matter should be resolved in a friendly manner. We don’t want the issue to end relations between the two countries, he said.

Source: arabtimes

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