Trump-Iran ceasefire under threat as UAE, and Bahrain attacked and oil refinery targeted

The UAE and Bahrain have come under more missile attacks despite Donald Trump’s ceasefire agreement with Iran.

Donald Trump has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran on the condition that shipping is allowed to move through the Strait of Hormuz. But the UAE air defenses responded to a missile threat, despite the ceasefire, geopolitical analyst Michael Horowitz said. An explosion was also reportedly heard at an Iranian oil refinery after the agreement was reached.

A message from the country’s Ministry of Defence read: “The UAE’s air defenses are currently engaging with missile and drone attacks originating from Iran. The Ministry of Defense confirms that the sounds heard in various parts of the country are the result of the UAE air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.

“UAE Air Defences system are actively engaging with missiles and UAV threats MOD asserts that the sounds heard across the country are the result of ongoing engaging operations of missiles and UAV’s.”

Iran’s Mehr News agency said a blast struck the Lavan oil refinery on Wednesday. The refinery is located on Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf, part of Iran’s Hormozgan Province.

A statement from the US president read: “I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE!” Trump had also warned a “whole civilisation” could “die tonight” should Iran not comply with his demand to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Taking to Truth Social on Easter Sunday, the US President had set Iran a deadline of 8pm ET tonight (1am BST Wednesday) to make a deal with the US or else face “living hell”.

The latest reports said “two people have sustained light injuries following an Iranian drone attack in Bahrain, the interior ministry says, hours after a US-Iran truce took effect,” The Times of Israel said.

“As a result of the Iranian aggression, two citizens sustained minor injuries and a number of houses were damaged in the Sitra area as a result of shrapnel falling from the interception of an Iranian drone,” the Bahraini interior ministry said quoted by the newspaper.

The Israel Defence Force has said it will continue “targeted ground operations against Hezbollah” in Lebanon as Israeli air strikes pound the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, but another message read: “In accordance with directives from the political echelon, the IDF has ceased fire in the operation against Iran, and is highly prepared to respond defensively against any violation.”

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, has released a statement following the announced ceasefire between the US and Iran. On Wednesday he instructed the Islamic Republic’s military to observe the ceasefire, while strongly declaring that “this is not the end of the war.”

In a statement released through Iranian state TV, Ali Khamenei’s son and successor said: “This is not the end of the war, but all military units must obey orders and uphold the ceasefire.”