KUWAIT (Reuters) -Kuwait has launched a crackdown on cryptocurrency miners it accuses of being a "major" cause of a power crisis that has led to blackouts, as authorities seek to ease pressure on the grid before the start of a sweltering summer. Authorities started a "wide-ranging" security operation last week, the interior ministry said in a statement, targeting homes used for cryptocurrency mining, an activity it said was illegal. Crypto mining activities "constitute an unlawful exploitation of electrical power … and may cause outages affecting residential, commercial and service areas, posing a direct threat to public safety", the ministry said.