For the oil-rich and largely spoiled population of the Persian Gulf, Iran’s blow was both terrifying and unexpected. Many expatriates ended their retreat to their homes as Iran launched a volley of missiles and drones, destroying airports, apartment complexes and oil terminals.
For the people of Kuwait, a small country just 80 miles across the ocean from Iran, the conflict is a reawakening of a decades-old nightmare at the center of the first Gulf War.
In Kuwait City’s Khalid al-Ozaina, at the northern end of the bay, a feisty 70-year-old fisherman squints into the warm sun as he recalls Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Iraq on August 2, 1990. “That was the last time we were banned from fishing,” he says.
Around him, hundreds of pleasure boats from his fishing club are stranded high and dry on the docks.
He stared wistfully at the marina’s seemingly calm waters, longing to pick up his rod again. “Are things as bad as they were then?” he asks. “No, it’s not,” but he admits it’s “dangerous” and Iranian missiles and drones ensure that.
Hussein’s war was so brutal that its legacy is fused into Kuwait’s modern DNA, intertwining its fate with the United States as well as its neighbors.
Kuwait’s calculus changed when the Iraqi dictator’s elite Republican Guard forces swarmed across the border. Within two days, Hussein had complete control of his small neighbor to the south and its vast oil fields. This shocked the world, caused gas prices to skyrocket and ushered in the ugliest era in Kuwait’s history.
Thousands of Kuwaiti military personnel and civilians were killed during the seven-month occupation and brutal crackdown.
Hussein, previously considered a close ally of the United States, had claimed Kuwait’s oil as his own. His forces were eventually driven out by a massive coalition of 39 nations totaling more than 500,000 troops, in what became known as the Gulf War or Operation Desert Storm. It was launched from Saudi Arabia and led by US President George Bush.
Iraqi forces set fire to oil fields in Kuwait as they fled from coalition forces. Black smoke and sticky black rain blanketed the country. The situation was so bad that legendary Texas oil well firefighter Paul “Red” Adair was called in to fight the hell out and cap the well.
Part of the legacy of this war was that the United States established several large military bases that Iran attacked in this war, killing six American servicemen. Four Kuwaiti troops were also killed, and an 11-year-old girl was killed by debris that fell from an Iranian drone while she was sleeping in her bed. Many more civilians were injured.
The crucible of this war would be the narrow Strait of Hormuz, about 500 miles southeast down the Gulf from Kuwait, and Iran’s Kharg Island, just 130 miles away.
At its closest, Kuwait is only 80 miles from Iran. Everyone in Kuwait knows that tankers in and around its waters will be in Iran’s crosshairs, as will onshore oil facilities.
In 1991 Kuwait’s wealth was saved and the country prospered. Kuwait and its Gulf Cooperation Council neighbors are using their oil resources to attract international investment. Used to build cities of shining glass and iron for a growing and thriving population.
Ironically, it is the oil wealth of the Gulf states that makes them easy prey for Iran’s pressure campaign against President Trump. Iran’s logic is simple. The higher oil prices rise, the greater the economic pain will be for the United States and the sooner President Trump will withdraw from the war.
Iran’s missile barrage is also aimed at sending a message to Gulf states. Their investments are precariously vulnerable to Tehran’s malign whims. Iran hopes this will put direct pressure on President Trump to quickly end the conflict.
But Iran may have misjudged its neighbors’ resolve. Retired air traffic controller Khaled al-Rasheed, 66, enjoying a spring evening in Kuwait City’s ancient souq, said the war has not been as devastating as the conflict in the early 1990s. “Right now it’s just missiles, and Kuwaiti air defenses intercept 98 percent of them.”
It seems to be a scene shared by many Kuwaiti families who flock to the brightly lit, busy streets, browse shop windows in search of gifts for their families for the Eid holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, or relax with friends in one of the many outdoor cafes, smoking shisha, drinking mint tea or sharing Arabic mezza.
“The Iranian regime believes that Gulf states can influence the United States,” al-Rashid said. “This is why they are attacking us. This is why they are targeting[oil facilities]to raise oil prices so that Europe can also put pressure on the United States.”
But he says that won’t happen. “They can launch more missiles, but it won’t destabilize us.”
Despite Ramadan coming to a festive end this week, the Kuwaiti government has tempered hopes for an early end, banning concert performances and wedding celebrations during the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday, citing safety concerns over large gatherings.
Although resilient, many Kuwaitis fear the war could drag on for months.
Al-Ozaina, president of the fishing club, estimates the war could last “six, maybe seven months,” but former air traffic controller Al-Rashid has a helpful message: “This is a war that Kuwait has no interest in and will not benefit from… It will lose if it confronts Iran.”
