According to Iran, multiple detonations occurred at a refinery on the Iranian island of Lavan in the Persian Gulf.
The United Arab Emirates, which has become one of Iran’s main targets, appears to have decided that direct military involvement was necessary to protect its interests. “It is significant to have a Gulf Arab country as a belligerent party that attacked Iran directly,” says an analyst.
The United Arab Emirates carried out secret attacks against Iran during the war started by the US and Israel earlier this year, according to a report cited by .
This is the first reported case of active involvement of a Gulf nation in the conflict, notes the North American newspaper.
The Gulf monarchy became one of the Iran’s main targets since it began its retaliatory attacks across the region, targeting US-allied states.
The United Arab Emirates did not publicly recognize the attacks, which included a offensive against a refinery on the Iranian island of Lavan, in the Persian Gulf, in early April, at the time of Donald Trump’s announcement of a temporary truce, the .
The attacks indicate that UAE will resort to force to protect their interests economic losses after Tehran sought to damage its oil and natural gas facilities, says the WSJ.
Iran stated at the time that the Lavan island refinery had been hit in an enemy attack and launched, in response, multiple missile and drone attacks against Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Os US welcomed UAE participation and any other Gulf states in the war, a source told the WSJ.
The Arab states proved to a large extent reluctant to participate in the war with Iran, and it was believed that were unhappy with the decision of Washington from launching the war on February 28, after becoming collateral damage.
In the weeks leading up to the US and Israeli attacks, the Gulf states pressured Washington to avoid waraware of the chaos this could unleash on the oil markets and the regional economy.
Analysts also reported that there were fears about the impact of a change of regime in Tehran and the possibility of even more radical elements coming to power.
In February, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Turkey and Egypt were allegedly pressure the US to back down on its threats and to halt military reinforcement in the region, in an effort to avoid becoming part of a front line in a conflict they did not choose, says The Independent.
Os United Arab Emirates, however, were less incisive in the week preceding the attacks and moved away from other countries of the Central Gulf Council by deepening ties with Israel and adopting different positions on Sudan and Yemen.
After the start of the war, the UAE appears to have decided that the military involvement was necessary.
“It is significant to have a Gulf Arab country as a belligerent party that attacked Iran directly,” he said. Dina EsfandiaryMiddle East analyst and author of a book about the rise of the United Arab Emirates.
“Tehran will now seek to further drive the wedge between the UAE and the other Gulf Arab countries that are trying to mediate an end to the war,” Esfandiary added.
