Partial ceasefire? The United States and Iran both claim victory this Wednesday after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite these signs of an agreement, several Middle Eastern countries report new strikes on Wednesday, blaming Iranian forces.
Three injured in the United Arab Emirates
In the United Arab Emirates, operations at the Emirati gas complex in Habshan were suspended after an attack in the night, which injured three people. This incident was “provoked by the fall of debris after an interception causing multiple fires,” according to the Abu Dhabi media office.
“Air defenses are currently facing missile and drone attacks from Iran,” the Emirati Defense Ministry later assured in a statement.
Kuwait also affected
In parallel, Kuwait’s army said it is facing “an intense wave of hostile and criminal attacks led by Iran,” and this has been happening “since 8 a.m.” (7 a.m. Paris time). It stated that 28 drones have been detected in the country.
These attacks “have caused significant material damage to oil facilities, power plants, and desalination plants,” it added.
In response to these attacks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized 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 actions and practices that compromise stability.”
Injuries in Bahrain
In the morning, explosions were also heard in the capital of Bahrain, Manama. The Civil Defense extinguished a fire at a facility resulting from the Iranian aggression. No injuries were reported, according to the Interior Ministry.
On the same Wednesday, “two civilians were slightly injured, and several residences were damaged in the Sitra region by the fall of debris from an intercepted drone,” Bahrain’s Interior Ministry reported. Injuries related to a “flagrant Iranian aggression,” it added.
Iran justifies attacks in the UAE and Kuwait
Shortly after these attacks, Iranian authorities confirmed strikes in the UAE and Kuwait, stating that it was in response to the targeting of the Lavan Rule’s oil installations, according to Iranian state television.
The channel quoted the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company, which said the Lavan refinery “was the target of a heinous attack” around 06:30 GMT (4:30 a.m. Paris time). Firefighters “mastered and extinguished the fire and secured the installation,” the company said, adding that no casualties had been reported at this stage as the staff were quickly evacuated.
The Lavan refinery, located on a small island in the Gulf, processes crude oil from a nearby field that provides high-quality oil for export, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). In 2020, it processed an average of 60,000 barrels of crude per day, according to EIA data.
Other Iranian rules in the Gulf have been attacked during the war, including Kharg, which hosts Iran’s largest oil terminal through which about 90% of its crude oil exports pass, according to a note from the American bank JP Morgan.
