A drone strike targeted the UAE’s only nuclear power plant on Sunday, sparking a fire in its vicinity. There were no reports of casualties or radiation leakage, but it highlighted the risk of renewed war as the ceasefire in Iran remains fragile.
No one immediately claimed responsibility, and the UAE did not blame anyone. However, Iran has been accused of launching several drone and missile attacks in recent days as tensions rise around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy waterway that Iran remains choked with.
The United States is closing Iranian ports, and diplomatic efforts to achieve a more sustainable peace have repeatedly faltered. Meanwhile, the UAE hosted air defenses and personnel from Israel, which joined the United States in the February 28 attack that sparked the war.
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. Fighting has also intensified between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon despite a nominal ceasefire there, adding to pressure on the broader truce.
The Barakah plant provides a quarter of the energy needed for the United Arab Emirates
The UAE built the $20 billion Barakah Nuclear Power Plant with the help of South Korea, and it was commissioned in 2020. It is the first and only nuclear power plant in the Arab world and can supply a quarter of the energy needs of the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms.
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 United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency, based in Vienna, said the strike caused a fire in an electric generator, and that one of the reactors was running on emergency diesel generators.
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The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, expressed “grave concern” about the incident and said that military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable, the agency said in a statement.
Sunday’s strike was the first time that the Barakah plant, which consists of four reactors, was targeted in the war. It is located near the border with Saudi Arabia, about 225 kilometers (140 miles) west of the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, whom the UAE is fighting as part of the Saudi-led coalition, claimed they targeted the factory while it was under construction in 2017, which Abu Dhabi denied at the time.
A program different from that of Iran or Israel
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.
This is very different from Iran’s nuclear program, which is at the heart of its long-standing conflict with the United States and Israel.
Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, but it has enriched its uranium to near weapons-grade levels and is widely suspected of having a military component in its program until at least 2003. It also often imposed restrictions on the work of UN inspectors.
Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the region, but it has neither confirmed nor denied possessing nuclear weapons. Iran bombed an area near Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility during the war.
Nuclear plants have been increasingly targeted in wars in recent years, including 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, although there was no direct damage to its Russian-operated reactor or any radiation leaks.
The ceasefire appears increasingly fragile
There have been several instances of attacks around the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf states in recent weeks. Talks between Iran and the United States have reached an impasse as a ceasefire threatens to collapse and return the Middle East to open war, prolonging the global energy crisis sparked by the conflict.
Two people familiar with the situation, including an Israeli military officer, said that Israel was coordinating with the United States about the possibility of resuming attacks. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing secret military preparations.
Speaking to his cabinet on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Our eyes are also open” when it comes to Iran. He said he planned to have a conversation with Trump later in the day to discuss the president’s trip to China and “possibly” other things. He added: “We are prepared for any scenario.”
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 masked member of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. 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.”
—Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdah in Tehran, Iran, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed.
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