Trump Administration Urges UAE to Seize Lavan Island as Iran Fires 2,800 Missiles and Drones
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 17
Trump Administration Urges UAE to Seize Lavan Island as Iran Fires 2,800 Missiles and Drones
11 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 17
U.S. officials are pressing Abu Dhabi to take a bigger combat role against Iran, including seizing Lavan Island, with former Trump security officials arguing UAE forces would spare American troops from direct ground fighting.
More than 2,800 Iranian missiles and drones have hit the UAE since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February, pushing the Emirates to rethink its defense posture and regional alliances.
The Telegraph said the UAE may already have struck Lavan Island in early April, though Abu Dhabi has not confirmed that; Iran has called the UAE an “active partner” in attacks, and the UAE says it reserves the right to respond.
Iron Dome batteries from Israel were sent to the UAE, and reports of a March Netanyahu visit point to deepening U.S.-Israel-UAE coordination that analysts say could further strain the Emirates’ ties with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Arab states.
Has the UAE's bold new alliance with the US and Israel guaranteed its survival or sealed its fate in the escalating war with Iran?
With the UAE out of OPEC and at odds with Saudi Arabia, is the Iran war permanently shattering the unity of the Arab Gulf?
Seizing Lavan Island? US Urges UAE Action Amid Explosive UAE-Iran Tensions and Global Economic Fallout
Overview
As of May 2026, senior US officials from the Trump administration urged the UAE to seize Iran’s Lavan Island, reflecting high-level US attention to the region. This push came amid ongoing hostilities, a fragile ceasefire, and a surge in missile and drone attacks across the Persian Gulf, with the UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia all targeted. The US-Israeli actions against Iran led to Iranian strikes on Israeli and US sites, escalating tensions. The situation highlights deepening US-UAE cooperation, growing regional instability, and the risk that any move on Lavan Island could shatter the ceasefire and trigger wider conflict.