KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait’s army said Thursday morning, Sept. 3, 2026, that its air defenses were engaging hostile missile and drone attacks from Iran, as Tehran claimed fresh strikes on U.S. military facilities in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates — a new retaliation wave after heavy U.S.–Iran exchanges earlier this week.

“Kuwaiti air defenses are currently engaging hostile missile and drone attacks following the heinous Iranian aggression,” the Kuwaiti army said in a post on X, according to reporting by Arab News, CNBC, and France 24. The army told residents to follow safety instructions and said explosions heard over Kuwait were from intercepts of incoming targets, RFE/RL reported.

Iran’s army said in a statement carried by state television that it had struck U.S. systems at Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait with missiles and drones. “This morning, the army hit the satellite communication systems, equipment depots and fighter aircraft hangars of the terrorist US army at the Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait with missiles and drones,” the statement said, as quoted by Arab News, France 24, and Türkiye Today. The same statement claimed missile and drone attacks on “the location of forces and radar systems” at Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE. The UAE had not confirmed a new attack at the time of RFE/RL’s morning update.

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry condemned the Iranian missile and drone strikes as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty and a direct threat to its security and stability, saying the attacks hit several sites, including a residential complex, and breached international law, according to Türkiye Today’s account of the ministry statement and Arab News’ summary of Kuwait’s condemnation. Qatar also condemned the attacks on Kuwait as a flagrant sovereignty violation and a dangerous escalation, RFE/RL reported.

Iranian state media framed the Thursday strikes as retaliation for U.S. attacks on Iran. Local sources told Iran’s IRIB that a U.S. base in Kuwait had been struck and that smoke was rising; neither Washington nor Kuwait City had confirmed that damage picture in the Western reporting reviewed for this story. Iran’s army described the operation as part of its ongoing “Saeqeh” campaign and warned of further harsh responses, Türkiye Today reported.

The Thursday wave follows a sharp escalation earlier in the week: U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets, including assets tied to mine-laying and air defenses around the Strait of Hormuz, and Iranian retaliation against U.S. partners and facilities in the Gulf. Iranian authorities have said a U.S. strike hit a home hosting a wedding in Kuhestak/Sirik on the Hormuz coast, killing civilians including a child — claims Washington has not directly addressed in detail; CENTCOM has said U.S. forces do not target civilians. Those earlier Hormuz escort and strike tallies are separate from Thursday’s Kuwait-focused attack wave.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump told reporters the renewed hostilities would not last “too long,” while saying the United States was prepared to strike again. “I don’t think it will [war] be very much longer … I don’t know how much more they [Iran] can take,” Trump said, describing Tuesday’s American strikes as a “very heavy attack” and adding that the U.S. was ready for further operations “any time we want,” CNBC and RFE/RL reported.

As of Thursday morning ET, independent confirmation of damage at Ahmad Al-Jaber and Al Minhad remained limited to Iran’s claims and Kuwait’s confirmation that air defenses were engaging incoming missiles and drones. Casualty figures from the Thursday Kuwait attacks had not been independently verified in the primary wire and Gulf reporting cited below.

Sources