Published : 12 May 2026, 04:23 PM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:43 PM
The United Arab Emirates carried out covert military strikes on Iran during the recent war alongside the United States and Israel, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The American daily said on Monday that the UAE became the only other country to directly join the military campaign against Iran after several Gulf states declined to participate.
Citing people familiar with the matter, it noted that the Emirati strikes included an attack on an oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf.
As per the Journal, the strike took place in early April around the time US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, though it did not specify whether the attack came before or after the declaration.
Iran had acknowledged at the time that the site was attacked by “an unidentified enemy” before responding with missile and drone strikes targeting the UAE and Kuwait, it added.
The refinery attack remains the only specific instance of Emirati military participation cited in the report.
One source told the newspaper that Washington welcomed Abu Dhabi’s participation after other Gulf states refused to actively join the conflict.
The UAE foreign ministry declined to comment, while the Pentagon also did not respond, according to the report.
