UAE Has Been Secretly Striking Iran

The United Arab Emirates has secretly carried out military strikes against Iran, including an early-April attack on Iran’s Lavan Island oil refinery, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The reported strike targeted the Lavan Island refinery in the Persian Gulf, a strategically important energy facility off Iran’s southern coast. Iranian oil officials confirmed on April 8 that the refinery had been hit in what they described as an “enemy attack,” saying the strike occurred around 10 a.m. local time and caused a fire but no casualties. At the time, Israel denied involvement, leaving the source of the attack publicly unclear.

At that time, Arab news outlets cited Iranian military sources stating that Mirage 2000-9 fighters, a fighter model operated by the UAE, attacked the Lavan refinery. Reports said that Washington told Tehran that the attacks are neither American nor Israeli.

The UAE’s covert action came after weeks of Iranian missile and drone attacks against Emirati territory and infrastructure. The UAE has repeatedly said its air defenses intercepted Iranian missiles and drones, while its foreign ministry described the attacks as a “serious escalation” and said the country reserved its “full and legitimate right” to respond.

Iran, for its part, has denied targeting the UAE in some of the recent incidents, while warning that any attack launched from Emirati territory would trigger a “crushing response.”

The reported Emirati strikes also complicate the fragile ceasefire environment announced after the U.S.-led campaign against Iran. The alleged UAE strike on Lavan Island occurred in early April, around the same period as the ceasefire. Subsequent Iranian attacks against Gulf targets, including renewed missile and drone threats against the UAE in May, suggest that the ceasefire has not fully restrained regional retaliation cycles.