Iran War & Ceasefire — 2026-05-12

UAE Secretly Carried Out Military Strikes Against Iran During US Air Campaign

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported Monday that the UAE secretly conducted military strikes on Iran, including an attack on the Lavan Island refinery in the Persian Gulf in early April. The Journal reported the attack sparked a large fire and knocked much of the facility's capacity offline for months. Per the Journal, Iran acknowledged at the time that the site had been struck by an unspecified enemy and subsequently launched missiles and drones against both the UAE and Kuwait. The UAE has not publicly acknowledged the strikes, with its Foreign Ministry and the Pentagon each declining to comment; one Journal source said Washington quietly welcomed UAE participation after other Gulf states declined to join the conflict.

Analysis
Abu Dhabi's covert strike on the Lavan Island refinery, per a single Wall Street Journal account, established deterrent precedent while preserving diplomatic flexibility that formal belligerent status would foreclose. The UAE Foreign Ministry gestured at prior declarations of a right to respond rather than deny involvement, signaling intent without triggering diplomatic accountability. Washington quietly welcomed UAE involvement after other Gulf states declined. The strikes may have operated under direct US targeting authority rather than as an independent Emirati initiative, making American accountability greater than the "quiet welcome" framing implies. The UAE will very unlikely publicly acknowledge the strikes within the next 90 days, consistent with Abu Dhabi's established pattern of denying offensive military action across regional conflicts.
5 sources
  1. UAE has been secretly carrying out attacks on Iran, WSJ reports - WHBL/Reuters
  2. UAE secretly launched strikes on Iran during war, attacked oil refinery -- report - The Times of Israel
  3. UAE struck Iranian refinery in April attack - WSJ - Iran International
  4. UAE targeted Iran's Lavan Island refinery during secret attacks against regime - The Jerusalem Post
  5. The U.A.E. Has Been Secretly Carrying Out Attacks on Iran - The Wall Street Journal

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