Dubai, United Arab Emirates — A drone strike targeted the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, setting an electric generator in its vicinity on fire, once again straining a fragile ceasefire in the Iran war.
The authorities in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, said that no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which did not cause the release of radiation or casualties. However, suspicion immediately fell on Iran, which has been increasingly threatening the UAE in recent days as the country hosted missile defenses and Israeli Iron Dome forces during the war.
The attack comes at a time when Iran still controls the region Strait of HormuzIt is a vital waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed before the war, disrupting global energy supplies. Meanwhile, America continues to close Iranian ports in response, as negotiations aimed at solidifying a ceasefire have failed to progress.
US President Donald Trump suggested resuming hostilities, and Iranian state television repeatedly broadcast clips showing announcers carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles in an attempt to prepare the public for war. Meanwhile, exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have escalated in recent days as well, threatening a separate ceasefire there.
The UAE built the $20 billion Barakah Nuclear Power Plant with help from South Korea, and it was commissioned in 2020. It is the first and only nuclear power plant in the Arabian Peninsula and can supply a quarter of the energy needs of the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms. It is also the first commercial nuclear power plant in the Arab world.
The UAE Nuclear Energy Regulatory Authority said that the fire did not affect the safety of the plant. “All units are operating as usual,” the organization wrote on X.
The UAE statement did not blame any party for the attack. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear regulatory body, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sunday’s strike was the first time that the Barakah plant, which consists of four reactors, was targeted in the Iranian war. The factory is located in the far western desert of Abu Dhabi, near the border with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The UAE signed a strict agreement with the United States over the power plant, known as the “123 Agreement,” under which it agreed to abandon domestic uranium enrichment and reprocess spent fuel to stem any concerns about the spread of nuclear weapons. Uranium comes from abroad.
Nuclear power plants have increasingly found themselves targeted in wars in recent years, first during Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. During the Iran War, Tehran repeatedly claimed that its Bushehr nuclear power plant was attacked, despite there being no direct damage to its Russian-operated reactor or any radiation leaks.
There have been several instances of attacks around the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf states over the past few weeks. Talks between Iran and the United States are stalled Fragile ceasefire It threatens to collapse and upend the Middle East Return to open warWhich prolongs the global energy crisis sparked by the conflict.
On Iranian state television, presenters on at least two channels appeared armed during live programs.
In one program, Hossein Hosseini received basic firearms training from a member of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, whose face was covered by a mask. After learning how to prepare the weapon, Hosseini simulated firing a bullet at the UAE flag.
On another channel, broadcaster Mabina Nasiri said that a weapon was sent to her from a gathering in Vanak Square in Tehran so that she could appear armed in front of the camera. She said: “From this platform, I declare that I am ready to sacrifice my life for this country.”
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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Amir Vahdah in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.