Kuwait (Kuwait) (AFP) – In the emirate of Kuwait, particularly targeted by Tehran's strikes, a renowned Persian restaurant preferred to remove any reference to Iran from its name, reflecting the discomfort felt by the large Iranian community.

Published on: 09/03/2026 - 1:43 p.m.

Since the start of the war in the Middle East at the end of February, the Islamic Republic has targeted American oil installations, civil infrastructure and military bases in the Gulf.

After a lull in August, Kuwait has been hit again in recent days, including an attack that caused a fire in a residential complex in the capital.

Even before this new upsurge in hostilities, the management of the restaurant "Abshar El Kuwait" decided to remove the word Iran from its name due to the sensitivity of the situation, an employee explained to AFP.

The activity, however, "has not been affected by the war", he emphasizes, while Kuwaitis and foreigners queue in front of the establishment.

“Sad”

Even if other Iranians say they have not suffered any harm, they do not hide their anguish, with Hussein reporting an “extremely difficult period”.

“We are sad,” says this 35-year-old trader who prefers to use a pseudonym to protect his identity. He, who lived in Kuwait for 18 years, says he considers this state his “second country”.

Some 52,000 Iranians live in the emirate of nearly five million inhabitants, most of them working in the fishing sector, in markets or in bakeries. Others are successful traders, selling fabrics and carpets in particular.

Hussein, who runs a major textile company, bustles in the historic Mubarakiyah market in the heart of the capital, where Iranians make up around 40% of the workforce.

“We have lived here for many years and we do not want problems between the two countries,” he insists.

He explains that he can no longer return to Iran, where his daughter lives, while air traffic was severely disrupted between the two countries after February 28, the start of Israeli-American strikes against Iran.

Trade between Kuwait and Iran is significant, reaching around $300 million in 2024, according to an official from the Iran-Kuwaiti Chamber of Commerce cited by local media.

Iranian exports to Kuwait mainly included food and agricultural products, carpets and construction materials.

Despite the war, “our relations with Kuwaiti customers are still good,” assures Hussein. Two other traders gave the same speech to AFP. But the tension is palpable.

“General feeling of worry”

The Kuwaiti authorities have stepped up repression against people suspected of belonging to cells linked to the Revolutionary Guards, the powerful armed force of the Islamic Republic.

They also closed the only Iranian school in the country last month, a source at the Ministry of Education told AFP, without providing an explanation.

“We simply want to live and earn our living,” underlines Ali, an Iranian in his thirties who also chose a pseudonym and who, like the other Iranians interviewed by AFP, did not wish to comment on his country's politics.

"We haven't suffered any harm and we haven't been harassed, but there is a general feeling of worry. That's natural in times of war," he says at the city's gold market, where he looks at a screen displaying price developments around the world.

“We have the feeling of being caught between two fires,” summarizes the young man.

In Mubarakiyah, Iranian traders sell pastries, particularly those made with tahini, attracting a regular flow of customers.

“The Iranians are everywhere here,” notes a Kuwaiti woman in her fifties, also preferring to keep her name quiet.

“They are part of Kuwait’s history, and it is impossible to imagine doing without them.”

© 2026 AFP

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