Embassy of the United States, Kuwait City

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Coordinates: 29°17′31″N 48°2′49″E / 29.29194°N 48.04694°E / 29.29194; 48.04694
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Embassy of the United States, Kuwait City
Map
LocationKuwait Kuwait City, Kuwait
AddressPlot No.14, Block 6, Masjed Al-Aqsa Street Masjid Al Aqsa Street، Kuwait
Coordinates29°17′31″N 48°2′49″E / 29.29194°N 48.04694°E / 29.29194; 48.04694
Websitehttps://kw.usembassy.gov

The Embassy of the United States in Kuwait City is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America in Kuwait.

History[edit]

Diplomatic relations between the United States and Kuwait were established on September 22, 1961, following Kuwait's full independence from the United Kingdom.[1] The U.S. opened its first consulate in Kuwait on June 27, 1951, and began operating publicly on October 15 of the same year with Enoch Duncan as the U.S. Consul.[1] On December 11 and 27, 1960, a bilateral agreement with Kuwait on non-immigrant passport visas was concluded, underscoring the recognition of Kuwait as a sovereign state.[1]

On 12 December 1983, a truck laden with 45 large cylinders of gas connected to plastic explosives broke through the front gates of the American Embassy in Kuwait City and rammed into the embassy's three-story administrative annex, demolishing half the structure. The shock blew out windows and doors in distant homes and shops.[2] A State department spokesman initially declared that damage at the embassy was extensive, and that non-American embassy workers were among the dead and the wounded.[3] According to the US State Department, the attack on the US embassy in Kuwait City led to a "comprehensive review of overseas security and the Department’s establishment of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) on November 4, 1985".[4]

On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Initially, US diplomats were not to evacuate to publicly defy Iraq's invasion of the country.[5] The decision was later reversed after Iraq freed approximately 750 US citizens held in Iraq and Kuwait, which allowed American Ambassador W. Nathaniel Howell and embassy staff to leave Kuwait on December 13, 1990, after 110 days spent in the embassy without power and with scarce rations.[5][6] The United States, alongside a multinational coalition, expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait in 1991.[7][8] The embassy reopened on March 1, 1991, following the liberation of Kuwait.[1] Since then, Kuwait has served as an important platform for U.S. and coalition operations, particularly during the Iraq War starting in 2003, and played a crucial role during the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops and equipment from Iraq in 2011.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Kuwait". history.state.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "Car Bomb Kills 2 in Kuwait". Associated Press News. July 15, 1987.
  3. ^ Ledbetter, Les (December 12, 1983). "KUWAIT CAR BOMB HITS U.S. EMBASSY; DAMAGE EXTENSIVE". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  4. ^ Weiner, Eric (December 11, 2019). "Remembering the 1983 terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City". United States Department of State. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Hoffman, David (December 8, 1990). "U.S. TO EVACUATE KUWAIT EMBASSY". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  6. ^ Fisher, Marc (December 13, 1990). "EMBASSY STAFF LEAVES KUWAIT". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Policy History". kw.usembassy.gov. August 7, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  8. ^ "U.S. Embassy Kuwait City, Kuwait". diplomacy.state.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
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