The briefing for Friday, September 4.

Iran fired at Kuwait on Thursday in retaliation for U.S. bombardments earlier in the week, with Kuwaiti air defenses intercepting missiles and drones during what officials called a "blatant Iranian aggression." Bahrain and Jordan also reported intercepting Iranian air attacks on Wednesday. The escalation follows a U.S. strike on Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, part of an intensifying cycle of attacks and counterattacks now in its seventh month.

Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. is investigating Iranian claims that a strike hit a wedding in the port town of Sirik on Tuesday, killing at least five people including two children. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said 67 people were injured when shrapnel from a missile struck the ceremony, and Iran's foreign ministry called it a "war crime." Vance said he was "extremely skeptical" of Iranian state media's account but confirmed the U.S. would investigate fully, noting "we're investigating it because obviously we care." BBC Verify confirmed video and images showing a destroyed telecommunications tower near Kuhestak's coast and damaged houses roughly 130 meters away, with BBC Persian Forensics placing the tower about 112 meters from the wedding house. Hundreds of mourners attended funerals for four victims on Thursday.

President Trump has adopted a dual-track approach combining economic pressure with military force, having launched "Operation Economic Outcast" last week to isolate Iran from remaining trade partners. The Treasury Department sanctioned a Turkish bank, Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi, calling it a "critical financial lifeline" for Iran, following similar action against an Egyptian bank's UAE operations. But the campaign has had limited bite so far, since experts say sanctions must target Iran's main partners—China, India and Russia—to be effective, and Trump has been reluctant to target China ahead of a planned visit from President Xi Jinping.

The war's toll is mounting domestically as gas prices rise and Trump's approval ratings dip ahead of November's midterms. Trump has dismissed concerns that the war's unpopularity will hurt Republicans, saying "it doesn't matter" since he isn't on the ballot. Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains well below pre-war levels—102 transits last week compared to 130 or more per day before the conflict—despite White House claims that the waterway is open and cleared of mines. A regional diplomat briefed on the matter said negotiations won't progress without addressing Israel's role as the war's original catalyst.

U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow on Saturday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, then meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday, marking the first such visit to Ukraine by the pair. Russia's Tass news agency, citing a source, said the envoys are expected in Moscow and then Kyiv on September 5-6. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm details, saying only that Russia would inform reporters when contacts take place.

The visit comes as Zelensky said a Russian drone struck the Kyiv office of Ukraine's security chief Oleksandr Poklad on Friday; Poklad appeared unharmed, and Zelensky ordered an "adequate" response. Zelensky said he would guarantee safe airspace for the envoys' visit and called on Russia to reciprocate. Putin, speaking Thursday at an international economic forum, said "there are chances" for a deal but showed no sign of softening his demands for Ukrainian territorial concessions, which Kyiv and its European allies have called tantamount to capitulation.

Witkoff and Kushner have visited Russia multiple times during the peace process, but this marks their first stop in Ukraine, signaling a potentially more balanced diplomatic push. Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory following its February 2022 invasion. Whether the weekend talks produce any breakthrough remains uncertain, given the wide gulf that has persisted between the two sides' positions.

The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously blocked new congressional districts backed by President Trump from being used in the November election, ordering a statewide referendum on whether to uphold or reject the map instead. The ruling marks a rare setback for Republicans in the national redistricting battle, as the GOP had hoped the new boundaries would help secure an additional House seat. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, a Republican, said she would immediately appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, calling the decision a "full-fledged constitutional crisis."

The court found that the districts were effectively placed on hold in December when opponents submitted more than 300,000 petition signatures seeking a public vote. Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins had rejected the petition on primary election day in August, arguing the referendum process doesn't apply to congressional redistricting—a position a lower court upheld before the Supreme Court reversed it. "The referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise," the court ruled, meaning the map drawn after the 2020 census will remain in effect for November.

Richard von Glahn of People Not Politicians Missouri, which sponsored the referendum petition, called the ruling a victory for democracy: "The people of Missouri demanded a voice, and the court just confirmed what we've been saying all along." Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, who had proposed the new map, joined Hanaway in calling the decision unprecedented, saying no court had ever overturned a congressional map after a primary but before a general election. The new districts had specifically targeted the Kansas City-based seat held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who has won with at least 60% of the vote in each of his past two elections.

A federal judge blocked President Trump's newest attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, citing binding Supreme Court precedent, according to the Associated Press. The ruling represents another legal setback for one of the administration's signature immigration policies, which has faced repeated court challenges since Trump first sought to limit automatic citizenship for children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents.

The decision sets up continued legal battles over the policy, which conflicts with longstanding constitutional interpretation dating back to the 14th Amendment. Courts have consistently pointed to existing Supreme Court precedent as a barrier to the administration's efforts to narrow the citizenship guarantee through executive action.

Volkswagen's board approved a sweeping cost-cutting plan Thursday that will eliminate 50,000 jobs, cut the company's model lineup by half, and end auto production at four German plants, bringing total planned job cuts to 100,000 by 2030. CEO Oliver Blume said the plan was necessary to counter low-cost competition from China and headwinds from U.S. tariffs, calling it "a strong signal for the future of Volkswagen Group." The plants under review—in Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and Neckarsulm—have excess capacity of 500,000 vehicles, though the company said it would explore alternative uses.

The plan overcame resistance from employee representatives and Lower Saxony's regional government, both of which hold seats on VW's board. Chief employee representative Daniela Cavallo, who had been sharply critical of the plan over the summer, said Thursday it represented "a necessity for our company to move successfully into the next decade without the associated undertakings coming only on the side of the employees." Lower Saxony Governor Olaf Lies described the challenges as "enormous" but called the plan "a shared path toward the necessary transformation."

Volkswagen, which employs roughly 650,000 people worldwide across brands including Audi, Porsche, Skoda and Bentley, reported a 30% drop in after-tax earnings for the first half of the year as China sales slumped. Chinese automakers like BYD have aggressively expanded in markets once dominated by Volkswagen, while U.S. tariffs on car imports have further pressured sales. Shares in the company rose about 7% in Frankfurt trading Friday morning following the announcement.

Argentine President Javier Milei escalated his country's dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands Thursday, announcing new sanctions measures targeting an oil project near the archipelago and citing President Trump's comments suggesting Washington could reconsider its neutral stance on the islands' sovereignty. Milei vowed to block development of the Sea Lion oil project, where British company Rockhopper Exploration and Israel's Navitas Petroleum plan to begin drilling and start pumping oil by 2028. He also announced new funding for a naval base in Tierra del Fuego to bolster Argentina's military presence near the islands.

Trump had stirred concern in Britain earlier in the week when asked about a potential shift in the decades-old U.S. neutral position, replying "I always review every position." In an interview with GB News aired Thursday, Trump avoided directly answering whether the U.S. would "come to the aid" of Britain in another Falklands conflict, instead citing past complaints about British support during the Iran war. For decades, U.S. administrations have stayed neutral on the sovereignty question while recognizing Britain's de facto control.

The 1982 Falklands War killed 649 Argentine troops, 255 British service members and three islanders, and the dispute remains deeply embedded in Argentine national identity, appearing on currency and in World Cup chants. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband responded firmly on social media: "The Islands are British and will remain so because that is the overwhelming position of the Islanders." In a 2013 referendum, Falklands residents voted 99.8% in favor of remaining a British overseas territory, though Milei dismissed islanders' self-determination claims. Critics at home, including opposition lawmaker Nicolás del Caño, accused Milei of exploiting the sovereignty issue ahead of his 2027 reelection bid.