Trump renews Iran strike threat as Tehran warns of longer war

If you’ve been checking flight prices, fuel costs or just the news a bit more often lately, you’re not alone. Every time Washington and Tehran trade new warnings, people in Kuwait feel it first – through flight delays, jumpy markets, or simply the worry of living so close to it all.

The latest warning came from US President Donald Trump himself, and it’s added fresh uncertainty to a situation we’ve been following closely as tensions rise for people in Kuwait.

What did Trump actually say?

Trump made the comments at a campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday, a day before the US midterm elections. He told supporters: “The only reason why I’m not finished with Iran is I want to be nice. I want to try and save all those lives if I can. But at some point we’re going to have to give them the hammer.”

He had earlier told reporters that Washington still has one or two targets left to deal with in Iran, and suggested they could be hit within minutes. He named Pickaxe Mountain, a site believed to hold an underground nuclear facility, as one of them.

This comes against the backdrop of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran that started on 28 February. Readers who want the fuller timeline can see why Trump says the Iran war isn’t over yet, and our earlier piece on new Iran strike plans given to Trump by the US military.

Is there still room for talks?

US media reported that Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday about both negotiations with Tehran and the option of more military action. According to Axios, Netanyahu pushed for an immediate strike once the US midterm elections are over, while Trump reportedly wants to give diplomacy more time.

On the Iranian side, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remains ready for either diplomacy or defence, and said he hopes Washington chooses talks. Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, said he received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance aimed at reviving negotiations – though Tehran has not yet replied to it.

Iran’s conditions for ending the standoff haven’t changed: it wants frozen assets released, the US naval blockade on its ports lifted, sanctions relief, and a full end to the fighting. The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest oil shipping routes, remains a sticking point in any deal. This links directly to concerns we covered when the US loaded missiles on warships near Iran and when the US told Gulf states to brace for possible strikes.

What is Iran saying about a possible new war?

Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia warned that a renewed conflict could run longer than the earlier round of fighting, and said Washington would not be able to control its timing or terms.

Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebbi went further, warning there would be “no geographical limitations” to any battlefield in a confrontation with the US. This kind of language is one reason Iran has separately warned that a next war with the US could last even longer.

Why the UAE is “braced for the worst”

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, told a conference in Manama that the Emirates still hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough. But he was blunt about the risk: “It is not the interest of the region to go through another round,” he said, adding that the UAE is “braced for the worst.”

That comment matters here. The UAE shares the Gulf with Kuwait, and its officials rarely speak this openly about preparing for conflict. For more on how the wider standoff has developed, our international news coverage has tracked each step since the strikes began in February.

What this means if you live in Kuwait

Nothing has changed in Kuwait’s day-to-day rules or safety advice because of these comments alone. But the tone from both Washington and Tehran has hardened again, not softened, which keeps the region on edge.

For residents and citizens, that means continuing to watch for official updates rather than rumours, keeping travel plans flexible if you’re flying through nearby airspace, and expecting fuel and shipping costs to stay sensitive to any new strike news. We previously reported on the deaths of US troops at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port, a reminder that American forces based here are directly tied to this standoff.

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