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The United Arab Emirates carried out direct military strikes against Iran during the recent conflict, including an attack on an oil refinery, making the Gulf monarchy an active combatant in a war in which it had itself been Iran's primary target, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The strikes, which Abu Dhabi has not publicly acknowledged, included an assault on a refinery on Iran's Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf in early April, around the time President Trump announced a cease-fire following a five-week air campaign.
The attack triggered a large fire and knocked much of the facility's capacity offline for months. Iran confirmed at the time that the refinery had been struck in what it called an enemy attack, responding with a barrage of missile and drone strikes against the UAE and Kuwait.
The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the strikes but pointed to previous statements asserting its right to respond, including militarily, to hostile acts.
The Pentagon also declined to comment. The White House did not address the UAE's involvement but said President Trump retains every option at his disposal and that the U.S. holds maximum leverage over the Iranian regime.
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Iran had directed overwhelming fire at the UAE throughout the conflict, targeting the country with more than 2,800 missiles and drones, far more than any other nation including Israel.
The attacks hammered the UAE's air traffic, tourism and property market and triggered widespread furloughs and layoffs. Gulf officials said the sustained campaign prompted a fundamental shift in Abu Dhabi's strategic outlook, leading it to view Iran as a rogue actor bent on dismantling a social and economic model built around expatriate talent, safety and stability.
The UAE has since emerged as the most openly confrontational country in the Gulf and maintained strong military cooperation with the United States throughout the conflict, according to people familiar with the matter.
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