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.
X/Clash Report
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.
Strikes hit an Iranian oil refinery on Lavan Island today.
Iran is now retaliating with strikes on targets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE. pic.twitter.com/xOptoGRjbB
— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 8, 2026
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.