UAE, Kuwait intercept Iranian drones targeting oil and energy infrastructure

Kuwait's air defences intercepted a wave of 28 Iranian drones targeting the country on April 8, with some striking oil installations, power stations and water desalination plants in the south, causing significant damage. The United Arab Emirates also reported its air defences were firing at incoming suspected Iranian missiles, AP reported.

The attacks came hours after a ceasefire was announced between the US and Iran, raising questions about the scope of the truce and whether Tehran's regional operations against Gulf states hosting US military bases are covered by the agreement.

Kuwait's Ministry of Defence spokesman Colonel Saud Abdulaziz al-Atwan said forces had been dealing with "an intensive wave of hostile Iranian attacks" since 8am local time.

The armed forces intercepted a large number of the drones, but those that got through targeted "vital oil installations and power stations in the south of the country", al-Atwan said. The strikes caused "significant material damage to oil infrastructure, power plants and water desalination facilities."

The General Staff confirmed it was making "all efforts to monitor and counter these brutal attacks."

Kuwait hosts several US military installations, including Ali Al Salem Air Base, which has been used for operations against Iran since the war began on February 28. Iranian forces previously struck the base, wounding 15 Americans, according to a CBS report.

The United Arab Emirates announced it had emerged "victorious" from the Iran-US-Israel war following the announcement of a ceasefire, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President Dr Anwar Gargash claimed.

The declaration comes after US President Donald Trump agreed to suspend military operations against Iran for two weeks, pulling back from threatened strikes on civilian infrastructure hours after his own deadline expired.

The ceasefire, which Trump described as "double-sided", is conditional on Iran agreeing to the "complete, immediate, and safe opening" of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil passes during peacetime.

"The UAE triumphed in a war we sincerely sought to avoid, and we prevailed through an epic national defence that safeguarded sovereignty and dignity and protected our achievements in the face of treacherous aggression," Gargash wrote on X. 

The attacks are the latest in a series of Iranian strikes on Gulf states since the start of the war. Saudi Arabia has intercepted dozens of missiles and drones, while fires from interceptions near a UAE petrochemical facility temporarily closed the plant.