Kuwait Hit by Power Outages as Iranian Attacks Damage Grid
KUWAIT CITY — Large swaths of Kuwait experienced partial power outages late Monday and early Tuesday after intensified Iranian missile and drone strikes damaged critical electricity infrastructure.
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy confirmed that seven overhead power transmission lines were knocked out of service. While the ministry’s spokesperson, Eng. Fatima Jawhar Hayat, stated that the damage was caused by falling debris from successful air defense interceptions, the impact on the national grid has been immediate and widespread.
Grid Under Fire
The outages primarily affected the southern regions of the country and residential areas adjacent to the Sixth Ring Road. Emergency technical teams were deployed at dawn to assess the structural integrity of the affected pylons, though repair work has been slowed by ongoing security protocols and the risk of follow-up strikes.
This is not the first time Kuwait’s utilities have been caught in the crossfire of “Operation Epic Fury”:
- March 12: Six power lines were similarly disabled by drone shrapnel.
- March 19-20: The Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, a cornerstone of Kuwait’s energy sector, was struck twice by Iranian “one-way” attack drones, causing localized fires.
- Water Security: Experts from the Atlantic Council have warned that the regional “water-energy nexus” is at high risk, as Kuwait’s desalination plants are integrated into the same electrical grids now under fire.
The “Neutral” Target
The attacks have sparked outrage in Kuwait City. The Emir of Kuwait, Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, recently lamented that his country is facing “unprovoked attacks” despite maintaining a neutral stance and refusing to allow its territory to be used for offensive operations against Iran.
However, Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has repeatedly warned that any country hosting U.S. personnel—Kuwait currently hosts over 13,000 U.S. troops—is a “legitimate target” for retaliation.
A Fragile Stability
As of Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Electricity claimed that five of the seven lines are in the process of being stabilized, and the overall water and electricity situation remains “under control.” Nevertheless, the government has urged citizens to conserve energy and prepare for “intermittent load-shedding” as the grid remains vulnerable to the high-frequency drone swarms characterizing the current phase of the war.
With President Trump’s five-day pause on strikes against Iran currently in effect, Kuwaitis are left wondering if the “pause” applies to the IRGC’s drones, which continue to fall from the sky over Kuwaiti suburbs.