UAE Struck Iranian Oil Refinery During Trump Cease-Fire, Report Says

The United Arab Emirates carried out a military strike on a key Iranian oil refinery just as President Trump declared a cease-fire with Iran last month, the Wall Street Journal reported. The strike targeted the Lavan Island facility in the Persian Gulf and sparked a large fire that is expected to leave output crippled for months.

Iran had said at the time that the refinery was hit by enemy fire but did not name the attacker. The UAE acted after absorbing a disproportionate share of Iranian missile and drone attacks during the conflict, according to the report. More than 2,800 missiles and drones were fired at the country, far more than at any other Gulf neighbor.

The UAE has close ties to both the United States and Israel and has pursued alternative oil trade routes that undermined Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The timing of the UAE strike coincided with the April 8 cease-fire announcement. Iran responded by launching attacks on targets in the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain.

American officials said afterward that the broader truce between the United States and Iran remained in effect even as small-scale clashes continued around the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. intelligence determined that Pakistan allowed Iran to park military aircraft on its airfields even while serving as a mediator between Tehran and Washington, CBS News reported. The aircraft included an Iranian Air Force RC-130 reconnaissance plane that landed at Nur Khan Air Base outside Rawalpindi days after the cease-fire took hold.

The moves appeared aimed at protecting Iranian assets from possible American strikes. A senior Pakistan official rejected the characterization, telling CBS News that a large fleet at the urban base could not have been hidden from public view. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs later confirmed that Iranian aircraft were in the country but said they arrived during the cease-fire period solely to facilitate diplomatic personnel and security teams for possible peace talks.

The ministry described assertions of a military preservation role as speculative and misleading. Iran also sent a civilian aircraft to Afghanistan before the war started. After Iranian airspace closed, the plane remained parked first in Kabul and later moved to Herat near the Iranian border for safety during Pakistani airstrikes on the Afghan capital.

Taliban officials denied any Iranian military aircraft were present in the country.

President Trump rejected an Iranian peace proposal that included demands for U.S. war reparations, recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and removal of American sanctions. The rejection, issued shortly before Trump was scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, left the conflict in what one outlet described as a gray zone that is neither war nor peace.

The UAE has not publicly commented on the reported strike against the Lavan Island refinery. The country has repeatedly asserted its right to defend itself against Iranian attacks. Iran has continued launching drone strikes on UAE territory, with additional incidents reported as recently as Sunday.

The United States was reportedly aware of the UAE's involvement in offensive actions against Iran and quietly welcomed participation by the UAE and potentially other Gulf nations. To date the UAE has faced more Iranian missiles and drones than any of its neighbors.

“The Iranian aircraft currently parked in Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire period and bear no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement. Last week three American Navy destroyers transiting the strait came under attack, prompting U.S. strikes on two Iranian ports. The cease-fire announced by Trump in early April has held in name only as diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran have stalled.”