The United Arab Emirates covertly launched military strikes against Iran before the 7 April ceasefire, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal — a revelation that significantly raises the risk of Gulf states becoming directly embroiled in the broader conflict. Images analysed by defence experts reportedly show UAE-operated French Mirage 2000-9 fighter jets and Chinese Wing Long drones operating over Iranian territory, including a strike on Iran's Lavan Island that targeted a petrochemical facility. The UAE has not officially acknowledged its role, but has repeatedly stated it reserves the right to retaliate for attacks on its territory.
The UAE has been among the hardest-hit Gulf states since fighting began on 28 February, having absorbed more than 3,000 Iranian missiles and drones, according to French broadcaster RFI. Iran appeared to single out the UAE partly because of its close ties to Israel — formalised through the Abraham Accords, the 2020 normalisation agreements — and its decision to withdraw from the OPEC oil cartel, which analysts say could increase global oil supply and weaken Iran's leverage. The UAE's largest gas plant, owned by Adnoc Gas, was severely damaged by Iranian strikes and will not return to full capacity until 2027. In response to the escalating threat, Israel deployed Iron Dome air defence batteries and personnel to the UAE, a step confirmed by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
The crisis has deepened fractures within the Gulf Cooperation Council. Saudi Arabia has so far resisted pressure to mount military reprisals against Iran, with former Saudi ambassador to the US Turki al-Faisal warning that all-out war would devastate oil infrastructure, desalination plants and the annual Hajj pilgrimage, while allowing Israel to emerge as the region's dominant power. Princeton University professor of Near Eastern Studies Bernard Haykel told BBC Arabic that Iran is deliberately targeting the UAE more than other Gulf states to signal that any Arab country aligned with Israel will face the heaviest consequences — a calculated attempt to sow divisions among Gulf neighbours.
Elsewhere, Kuwait announced the capture of four Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders who allegedly attempted to infiltrate Bubiyan Island, Kuwait's largest island, aboard a fishing boat. Kuwait summoned the Iranian ambassador and the UAE issued a statement of solidarity. Meanwhile, Iran held talks with Oman — which has historically played a mediating role in the region — over plans to reorganise and charge for shipping services passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil transits.
With Donald Trump warning that the ceasefire is hanging by a thread over Iran's nuclear concessions, and the Pentagon reporting the war has cost the United States nearly $29 billion, the stakes for the entire region are rising sharply. A quartet of nations — Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar — has publicly advocated restraint, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urging Gulf states not to lose focus on what he called Israeli expansionism in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria. Whether the UAE's covert military role becomes a flashpoint that pulls reluctant neighbours into open conflict may depend on how fragile the current ceasefire proves to be.