An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island was attacked shortly after a ceasefire was announced between Iran, the U.S., and Israel. Firefighters responded to the blaze, with no injuries reported.
Photo : AP
An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island came under attack Wednesday, hours after a ceasefire in the war was announced, Iranian state television reported. The report said firefighters were working to contain the blaze and that no injuries had been reported. It did not say who carried out the attack.
The incident came shortly after Iran, the United States and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire, an 11th-hour deal that appeared to pull back from a wider escalation.
Within hours of the announcement, reports of fresh hostilities emerged across the region. Missile alerts were issued in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait after the ceasefire announcement. A gas processing facility in Abu Dhabi was ablaze after incoming Iranian fire, officials said. The fire stopped for a time, but then restarted.
The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday afternoon its air defenses fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait’s military said its forces responded to an “extensive wave” of drone attacks.
The UAE’s Ministry of Defense said that on Wednesday UAE air defense engaged 17 ballistic missiles and 35 UAV’s launched from Iran. Since the onset of the blatant Iranian attacks, UAE air defenses have engaged a total of 537 ballistic missiles, 26 cruise missiles, and 2,256 UAV’s. No fatalities were reported, it said.
“These attacks resulted in injuries to 3 individuals, all of whom sustained minor injuries, bringing the total number of injuries to 224, involving individuals of various nationalities, including Emirati, Egyptian, Sudanese, Ethiopian, Filipino, Pakistani, Iranian, Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Azerbaijani, Yemeni, Ugandan, Eritrean, Lebanese, Afghan, Bahraini, Comorian, Turkish, Iraqi, Nepalese, Nigerian, Omani, Jordanian, Palestinian, Ghanaian, Indonesian, Swedish, Tunisian, Moroccan, and Russian,” a press statement issued by UAE read.
“No martyrs or fatalities have been reported in the past hours. Since the onset of the blatant Iranian attacks, the total number of martyrs has reached 2, in addition to the martyrdom of a Moroccan civilian contracted with the Armed Forces. The total number of civilian fatalities stands at 10, from Pakistani, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Palestinian, Indian, and Egyptian nationalities.
The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country, in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability and safeguards its interests and national capabilities,” it added.
US Vice President JD Vance described the agreement as “a fragile truce.”
Questions also remained over the terms of the deal. Iran said the agreement could allow it to formalise charging fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, though it was unclear if other countries had accepted such a provision or how it would be implemented.
Pakistan, which helped mediate the agreement, said the ceasefire could extend to fighting in Lebanon, where Israel is battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. However, Israel said the deal does not apply to its operations there.
In Tehran, pro-government demonstrators gathered after the announcement, chanting slogans against the United States and Israel and burning their flags, reflecting strong opposition among hard-liners.
Donald Trump had earlier warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if no deal was reached, but later said Iran had proposed a “workable” plan. He also suggested U.S. warships would remain near the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil route.
Iran’s demands for ending the war include the withdrawal of U.S. forces, the lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen assets, conditions that are likely to face resistance from Washington and its allies.
