Reports said the UAE carried out secret strikes on Iran in early April, including an attack on a refinery on Lavan Island, as the war was nearing a ceasefire announcement. [1, 2]
The Wall Street Journal cited sources saying the strikes took place around the time US President Donald Trump was announcing, or about to announce, a ceasefire. AFP said it could not independently verify the reported Emirati attacks. [1, 2]
The refinery on Lavan Island was one of the reported targets. AFP said the facility can process 60,000 barrels of crude a day. [1]
Iran responded with ballistic missiles and drones aimed at the UAE and Kuwait. On April 8, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said “missile and drone attacks on the Emirates and Kuwait have taken place a few hours after the targeting of Lavan island oil facilities in Iran,” while UAE authorities said the country had been hit by Iranian missiles and drones. Kuwait also reported damage to power, desalination and oil facilities. [1]
IRIB also described the refinery as “was subjected to a cowardly attack,” according to AFP’s account of the exchange. [1]
The Journal said the US quietly welcomed Emirati involvement in the conflict. Analyst Dina Esfandiary told the paper, “It’s significant to have a Gulf Arab country as a warring party that struck Iran directly,” and said Tehran would seek to deepen splits between the UAE and other Gulf Arab states trying to mediate an end to the war. [2]
An Anadolu Agency report on Tuesday said the UAE had been secretly carrying out attacks against Iran amid the US-Israeli war. The report was published as the latest account on the disputed strikes. [2]
