The UAE Has Been Secretly Striking Iran, and the Pentagon Isn't Complaining

The United Arab Emirates has been carrying out military strikes on Iran, according to people familiar with the matter. That makes the Gulf monarchy an active combatant in a war where, until now, it has been Tehran's biggest target. The UAE has not publicly acknowledged the attacks. But its military is well-equipped with Western-made jet fighters and surveillance networks, and these strikes suggest it is now more willing to use them to protect its economic power and growing regional influence.

One such attack took place in early April. The target: an oil refinery on Iran's Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf. The strike sparked a large fire and knocked much of the refinery's capacity offline for months. Iran said at the time that the refinery had been hit in an enemy attack and launched a barrage of missile and drone strikes against the UAE and Kuwait in response. The timing is notable. Early April was roughly when President Trump was announcing a ceasefire after a five-week air campaign. The US, one of the people said, was not upset by the attack because the ceasefire had not yet settled into place, and Washington has quietly welcomed the participation of the UAE and any other Gulf states that want to join the fight.

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 declined to comment. The White House did not address questions about the UAE's involvement but said that Trump has every option at his disposal and that the US has maximum leverage over the Iranian regime.

Dina Esfandiary, a Middle East analyst and author of a book on the rise of the UAE, was quoted as saying that it is significant to have a Gulf Arab country as a warring party that struck Iran directly, and that Tehran will now aim to further drive a wedge between the UAE and other Gulf Arabs who are trying to mediate an end to the war.

Before the war, Gulf countries said they would not let their airspace or bases be used for attacks. But once the fighting started, Iran responded by launching missile and drone attacks against Gulf population centers, energy infrastructure, and airports. Tehran's goal: raise the economic and political costs and make it harder for the US and Israel to continue their campaign. Iran focused much of its fire on the UAE, targeting it with more than 2,800 missiles and drones – far more than any other country, including Israel. The attacks have hammered the UAE's air traffic, tourism, and property market, and have led to a wave of furloughs and layoffs. Gulf officials have said the strikes also prompted a fundamental shift in the country's strategic outlook, which now sees Iran as a rogue actor bent on undermining the UAE's economic and social model, built on expatriate talent and a reputation for safety and stability.

The UAE has since emerged as the most openly confrontational country in the Gulf and has maintained strong military cooperation with the US throughout the war, according to people familiar with the matter. H.A. Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies in London, said the Emiratis made it clear early on that they did not want this war, but it is also clear that since the first Iranian strikes on the UAE took place, Abu Dhabi has been quite transparent that they see the regional picture as having changed dramatically. Hellyer added that while Abu Dhabi has not confirmed what they have targeted or even if they have targeted, from the early days of the war it seemed only a matter of time before increased kinetic involvement of different Gulf states.

Speculation about the UAE's involvement has swirled since mid-March, when a jet fighter that did not appear to belong to Israel or the US was filmed over Iran. Researchers who track publicly available images have pointed to photos purporting to show French Mirage fighters and Chinese Wing Loong drones – both used by the UAE – in action in Iran.

Militarily, the UAE is dwarfed by the US. But it has a highly trained and capable air force with Mirages and a fleet of advanced F-16 jet fighters supported by refueling planes, command-and-control aircraft, and surveillance drones. Retired US Air Force Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, who planned the air campaign for Desert Storm, said those capabilities give the UAE unusually sophisticated air power for the region. "They are very strong in terms of precision strike, air defense, airborne surveillance, refueling and logistics," he said. "If you have that capable of an air force, why would you sit back and absorb attacks from Iran without responding?"

Tehran's strategy of pulling the Gulf into the war has exacerbated political divisions among its Arab monarchies and sent them scrambling for new security arrangements. While all Gulf states are wrestling with growing security risks and the reliability of their American protector, the Emirates is doubling down on its relationship with the US, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, told reporters in April.

In addition to the strikes, the UAE backed drafts of a UN resolution authorizing the use of force if necessary to break Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE also acted against Iran's financial interests, closing schools and clubs in Dubai linked to Tehran and denying visas and transit rights to Iranian citizens. Those moves crimped the economic lifeline the Emirates have long provided to Iran amid heavy Western sanctions. Iran has responded by repeatedly accusing the UAE of joining the US and Israeli campaign.

After the US and Israel wiped out Tehran's air-defense capabilities, the risk of flying combat missions over Iran dropped sharply, said retired Col. John "JV" Venable, who commanded operations at the Al Udeid air base in Qatar during his time in the US Air Force. "If you're an ally and you want to be engaged, it's a really good time to do that, because the threat is really low," Venable said. "At medium to high altitude, aircraft are going to be able to do what they want, and there's nothing the Iranians can do about it."

Written by Thomas Nussbaumer