U.S. President Donald Trump (C) speaks during a meeting with U.S. travel company executives in the Oval Office of the White House on September 2, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietch | Getty Images
Kuwait’s military announced on Thursday that it was facing hostile missile and drone attacks from Iran, a day after President Donald Trump said the new hostilities between the United States and Iran would not last “for long.”
Kuwait advised residents to follow security and safety instructions, adding that explosions heard in the country were caused by air defense systems intercepting hostile targets.
“I don’t think it (the war) will be that long…I don’t know how long they (Iran) can hold out,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday, describing Tuesday’s U.S. attack on Iran as “a very violent attack” and adding that the U.S. is ready for further military operations “at any time.”
Iran had retaliated after Tuesday’s attack by targeting U.S. regional allies Jordan and Bahrain.
Reuters reported that President Trump’s aides are calling for him to prevent an escalation of the war with Iran ahead of November’s midterm elections. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are trying to keep the Iran conflict relatively “quiet” until after the midterm elections.
Reuters, citing four people familiar with the discussions, said the move was aimed at limiting losses for the Republican Party in a conflict that has become increasingly unpopular with Americans.
A poll of 1,000 people conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst in August found widespread disapproval of President Trump’s handling of the Iran war.
“More than two-thirds of the 1,000 survey respondents disapproved of the way Mr. Trump handled the war, and about the same number now express disapproval of the way Mr. Trump is conducting his job generally,” the university said.
President Trump also said on Wednesday that while he was unaffected by the midterm elections, he would support the Republican Party, saying he “respects the fact that we do not recognize Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities.”
“We’re not doing it for any other reason, at least 99% of the time we’re doing it to help the Middle East, we’re doing it to help Israel, we’re doing it to help ourselves,” Trump said at a later Rose Garden event, referring to the Iran conflict.
—CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
