Kuwait has become one of the most vulnerable targets in the recent escalation of hostilities linked to the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States, highlighting its complex geopolitical position and fraught security environment. Since February, attacks attributed to Iran and Iran-backed militias have intensified, fostering a climate of fear in a country still bearing the psychological scars of the 1990 Iraqi invasion.

Kuwait’s proximity to Iran and its substantial presence of American military personnel—estimated at around 13,500 troops—have made it susceptible to repeated ballistic missile and drone strikes. Since the onset of the conflict, Kuwait has endured nearly 1,400 such attacks, second only to the United Arab Emirates according to assessments by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). The recent breakdown of a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran has further amplified the frequency and intensity of these assaults.

Targets have included U.S. military bases, the country’s airport, critical oil infrastructure, power plants, and key water desalination facilities. The latter is particularly significant as Kuwait relies on desalination for over 90 percent of its drinking water. Power outages have led authorities to urge citizens to reduce energy consumption during the peak summer heat, with temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has explicitly called on Kuwait’s population to oppose American forces, deepening tensions. The sharp increase in attacks has taken many by surprise in Kuwait, a country that historically maintained relatively cordial relations with Tehran. A sizeable Shia minority frequently travels to Iran for religious pilgrimages, and Kuwaiti officials have generally avoided the more confrontational stances adopted by some Gulf neighbors like Bahrain and the UAE.

Despite this, Kuwait’s geographic position leaves it squeezed between hostile forces. Bader al-Sait, an assistant history professor at Kuwait University, noted that the concentration of potential targets in a small nation presents a unique vulnerability. He observed that the recent scale of attacks suggests Iran’s strategy may be aimed not solely at Kuwait but at destabilizing the broader Gulf region. This strategy challenges Kuwait’s ambition to project itself as a stable and prosperous hub amid the turmoil that has engulfed the region.

The conflict has also adversely affected Kuwait’s economy. The nation’s oil production reportedly dropped sharply, from approximately 2.5 million barrels per day pre-conflict to as low as 500,000 barrels per day, largely due to targeted strikes on oil fields and disruptions related to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait has struggled to diversify its economy beyond oil, which constitutes about 90 percent of government revenue. Supply chain disruptions and rising prices have increased economic pressures on businesses and citizens alike.

In efforts to manage the crisis, Kuwaiti authorities have deployed U.S.-made Patriot missile defense systems throughout the country. The threat from cross-border drone attacks launched by Iraqi Shia militias, supported by Iran, has added another layer of complexity to Kuwait’s security concerns. Relations with Iraq, once strained by Iraq’s invasion, have been cautiously improving over recent years, but the renewed militancy threatens to reverse progress.

In May, Kuwaiti officials announced the arrest of several Iranian Revolutionary Guard operatives allegedly attempting to infiltrate the country, an allegation denied by Iran. Meanwhile, the incident in March involving the downing of three U.S. F-15E fighter jets on Kuwaiti territory—deemed a "friendly-fire incident" by the U.S. military—reflects the volatile and fragmented nature of the conflict.

For many Kuwaitis, such as a 50-year-old translator named Dana, the current tension extends beyond immediate physical threats. It evokes fears of losing the security and normalcy that have defined life in Kuwait for decades. The war thus threatens to undermine the nation’s sense of stability and safety, casting a shadow over its future amid ongoing regional turbulence.