Another conflict has erupted! Not the U.S. military, nor Israel—war in the Persian Gulf has reignited, with UAE Air Force launching sudden airstrikes on Iran! On April 8, 2026, just hours after U.S. President Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran and Israeli authorities—including the Israeli Defense Ministry—confirmed their own ceasefire with Iran, CCTV News reported multiple explosions on Sirri Island, Iran. According to Iranian media reporting on the 8th, several explosions occurred at Sirri Island early that morning, with the cause still unknown. An oil refinery in Iran was also hit by an explosion. In addition to Sirri Island, semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr reported multiple explosions at a refinery on Lavan Island following the ceasefire’s implementation, though the cause remains unclear. At least four aerial attacks targeted the Lavan Refinery on Lavan Island, resulting in two oil storage tanks catching fire.
Iranian media stated that the war had not ended: “Anyone telling you it’s over is lying.” They added that the Israeli Air Force continues to strike Iran’s petrochemical facilities, having attacked and destroyed two major refineries located on Sirri and Lavan Islands. However, Iran later retracted this claim, asserting instead that it was not the Israeli Air Force but rather the UAE Air Force that carried out the bombing of Iran’s oil refineries. The explosions occurred just hours after Iran and the United States announced a ceasefire agreement. Earlier reports suggested the strikes might have been conducted by U.S. or Israeli forces (at the time, Iranian media did not believe the UAE was responsible). At least two oil storage tanks inside Iran were set ablaze, and plant personnel were urgently evacuated—though official confirmation of the attackers has yet to be issued.
Local Iranian media reported that the Lavan Refinery was suddenly attacked at 10:56 local time (15:26 Beijing Time). Prior to the attack, a missile was launched toward the refinery area, followed by massive explosions. All facility staff had already been evacuated. Before this incident, the oil terminal on Lavan Island had also been targeted. At 10:20 local time (14:50 Beijing Time), three explosions struck Lavan Island, hitting two oil storage tanks. Oil workers have been evacuated. The Lavan Refinery has a daily crude processing capacity of approximately 60,000 to 70,000 barrels. No casualties have been reported so far, and Iran has stated that the full extent of damages is still under investigation.
Subsequently, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Force immediately retaliated against Gulf states by launching Shahed-136 suicide drones targeting oil infrastructure in Kuwait, the UAE, and Bahrain—directly responding to the bombings of the Sirri and Lavan Island refineries. Worldwide, including within Iran itself, many believed that U.S. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had second thoughts, torn up the ceasefire agreement, and resumed hostilities against Iran. But the truth has now emerged: it was neither the U.S. military nor the Israeli Air Force. Instead, it was the UAE Air Force that bombed Iran’s oil facilities in the Persian Gulf—something truly unexpected. This is not the first time the UAE Air Force has participated in attacks on Iran. Previously, UAE Air Force had deployed Wing Loong armed drones, suicide drones, and Mirage-2000 fighters in secret operations against Iran. Two Wing Loong drones were shot down, one wreckage was captured by Iran, and another crashed into the Persian Gulf after being intercepted.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861898159608841/
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