Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain… Despite the agreement with the United States, Iran continues to strike several other countries in the Middle East

A partial truce? The United States and Iran both claimed victory on Wednesday after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire in exchange for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. But, despite these beginnings of an agreement, several countries in the Middle East reported new strikes that occurred during the day on Wednesday, pointing the finger at Iranian forces.

Three injured in the United Arab Emirates

In the United Arab Emirates, operations at the Emirati Habshan gas complex were suspended after an attack overnight, which injured three people. This incident was “caused by falling debris after an interception causing multiple fires,” said the Abu Dhabi media office.

“Air defenses are currently facing missile and drone attacks from Iran,” the Emirati Defense Ministry subsequently assured in a statement published on X.

Kuwait also affected

At the same time, the Kuwaiti army says it is facing “an intense wave of hostile and criminal attacks carried out by Iran”, and this “since 8 a.m.” (7 a.m. in Paris). She specifies having detected 28 drones in the country.

These attacks “caused significant material damage to oil infrastructure, power plants and desalination plants,” she added.

In response to these attacks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed in a statement “the need for the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies, including factions, militias and armed groups loyal to it, to immediately end all hostile and practical actions that undermine stability.”

Injured in Bahrain

In the morning, explosions were also heard in Bahrain’s capital, Manama. “Civil Defense extinguished a fire at a facility resulting from Iranian aggression. No injuries were reported,” the Interior Ministry said on X.

Also this Wednesday, “two civilians were slightly injured and several homes were damaged in the Sitra region by falling debris” from an intercepted drone, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said on X. Injuries linked to “blatant Iranian aggression,” added the ministry.

Iran justifies its attacks in the Emirates and Kuwait

Shortly after these attacks, Iranian authorities confirmed having carried out strikes in the Emirates and Kuwait, ensuring that it was a response “to the targeting of oil installations on the island of Lavan”, Iranian state television indicated.

The channel cited the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company as saying that the Lavan refinery “was the target of a cowardly attack” around 06:30 GMT (4:30 a.m. in Paris). Firefighters “contained and extinguished the fire and secured the facility,” the company said, adding that no casualties had been reported at this stage, with staff having been quickly evacuated, it said.

The Lavan refinery, located on a small Gulf island, processes crude extracted from a nearby field that provides high-quality oil for export, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). In 2020, it processed an average of 60,000 barrels of crude per day, according to EIA figures.

Other Iranian islands in the Gulf were attacked during the war including that of Kharg, which is home to Iran’s largest oil terminal through which approximately 90% of its crude exports pass, according to a note from the American bank JP Morgan.