UAE launched secret counter-strike against Iran that crippled oil refinery before cease-fire: report

The United Arab Emirates quietly carried out military counter-strikes against a key Iranian oil refinery just as President Trump declared a cease-fire last month, according to a new report.

After suffering repeated bombardments from Iran, the UAE fired a series of retaliatory attacks against the Islamic republic, with one of the known strikes hitting the Lavan Island oil refinery in the Persian Gulf, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

The attack, which came just as the US was solidifying a cease-fire on April 8, sparked a large fire in the facility and is expected to leave its output crippled for months, the outlet added.

At the time, Iran had said that the refinery was struck by enemy fire. While the Islamic Republic did not name the source, it launched an attack against the UAE and Kuwait in response, similar to what it had been doing throughout the height of the war.

While the UAE has not commented on the strikes, the country has repeatedly asserted its right to defend itself against Iran’s mass retaliation campaign in the Gulf.

During the daily airstrikes of the war, Abu Dhabi found itself suffering a disproportionate brunt of Iran’s wrath — with more than 2,800 missiles and drones fired at it, much more than any other country in the region, including Israel.

The UAE has been a prime target for the Islamic republic given its close ties with Israel and the US, with Abu Dhabi also housing alternative oil trade routes that helped undermine Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Experts have said the attack on the UAE served as a warning for Gulf nations to avoid allying with the US and Israel, lest they suffer the same results.

The animosity between Abu Dhabi and Tehran remains high, with the UAE leaving OPEC and having its ships actively try to bypass Iran’s blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Iran has repeatedly launched drone attacks on the UAE, with fellow Gulf nations Qatar and Kuwait also reporting attacks over the weekend.

The attacks have threatened to undo the fragile cease-fire between the US and Iran, but American officials say the truce remains in effect as Washington continues to pressure Tehran to accept its latest peace proposal.