The plea we direct to our neighbors in Iran is for them to cease their aggression, to engage with the international community to lift sanctions, to adopt practical and peaceful means by dispelling others' doubts about its nuclear program, to stop piracy in the Strait of Hormuz, and to show signs of goodwill towards its neighbors. Will Iran heed the calls of reason and peace? Or is that too difficult given the current dominance of the chaotic Revolutionary Guard over Iran's decision-making and political arena?

Yesterday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard issued a statement addressed to 'the honorable and generous Kuwaiti people,' as it put it, claiming that it 'holds no animosity towards the Kuwaiti people' and that its attack on their country was directed solely against American forces. The statement calls on the Kuwaiti people to demand the expulsion of American forces from Kuwait.

This is the gist of the statement, with two main points: first, 'We are not targeting the Kuwaiti people but American forces and bases,' and second, 'In order for us not to target you, expel American forces from Kuwait.'

Kuwaitis are aware that Iranian aggression targets them. It has struck several civilian facilities, including Kuwait International Airport, causing casualties including dead and wounded among unarmed civilians. It also targeted other civilian facilities, such as the Public Institution for Social Security building in downtown Kuwait City, as well as oil facilities and various power stations.

Kuwaitis realize that denying the use of their land to attack Iran is no longer effective, no matter how much evidence they present, without receiving any proof from Iran that Kuwaiti territory was used to attack it. Thus, the Iranian claim that it is not targeting the Kuwaiti people but rather American military bases in Kuwait is false and an outright lie.

But how should Kuwaitis, and perhaps observers outside Kuwait, interpret the Revolutionary Guard's plea to Kuwaitis to expel American forces so that Iranians stop bombing their country?

Is this plea an appeal to Kuwaitis—and behind them the Gulf states—to do something so that the Iranians can justify to their own people the reasons for halting their aggression against neighbors? Or is it an appeal that reflects the dire state the Revolutionary Guard forces have reached after receiving devastating blows over the past months from American and Israeli forces? Or is it intended for domestic consumption and to project strength, portraying the Revolutionary Guard as controlling the decisions of regional states, dictating whom they host and with whom they form strategic or military relations? In other words, is it for internal consumption and posturing?

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There may be other reasons or a very pessimistic interpretation, namely that this plea serves as a warning or an early excuse for action more coercive than what Iran has done so far. Is the Revolutionary Guard contemplating direct crimes targeting residential and civilian areas, water and energy sources in Kuwait, and thus laying the groundwork early before committing those crimes it intends to perpetrate? As if it wants to say, 'I appealed to the honorable and generous Kuwaiti people, but they did not listen to my plea' — 'they didn't heed my words'? Or is it a preemptive justification for greater follies, such as an attempted naval landing on Kuwaiti islands, or inciting Tehran's militias in Iraq to launch extensive border harassment north of Kuwait?

In any case, any foolish attempts by the neighbors in Iran will face fierce resistance that repels aggression in whatever form. The Kuwaiti armed forces, backed by their brothers in the Arabian Gulf, have demonstrated an epic ability to confront not only missiles and drones but even the naval infiltration attempt carried out by the Revolutionary Guard near Bubiyan Island on May 1 of last year, which resulted in a Kuwaiti soldier being wounded and the capture of four high-ranking Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers.

The plea we ourselves direct to our neighbors in Iran is for them to cease their aggression, to engage with the international community to lift sanctions, to adopt practical and peaceful means by dispelling others' doubts about its nuclear program, to stop piracy in the Strait of Hormuz, and to show signs of goodwill towards its neighbors. Will Iran heed the calls of reason and peace? Or is that too difficult given the current dominance of the chaotic Revolutionary Guard over Iran's decision-making and political arena?