The Wall Street Journal reported on 11 May 2026 that the United Arab Emirates had been carrying out covert military strikes on Iran, including an attack on an oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf in early April 2026 that sparked a large fire and knocked much of the refinery’s capacity offline for months.
Efforts Category: UAE’s Military Force against Iran
The Wall Street Journal reported on 10 May 2026 that the United States had conditioned its backing of Iraq‘s prime minister-designate Ali Al Zaidi on his exclusion of Iran-backed militias from the next government and curtailment of Tehran’s influence in Baghdad. During the war, Washington had suspended the transfer of Iraq’s oil-sale revenue in dollars as well as security aid to Baghdad. Earlier, in January 2026, Trump had warned he would cut off US assistance to Iraq entirely when Iran-aligned former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki was put forward for the position.
Efforts Category: US’s Political Pressure against Iran in Iraq
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