Abu Dhabi: A drone strike targeted the United Arab Emirates’ Barakah nuclear power plant on Sunday, setting an electrical generator on fire near the facility’s perimeter and raising fresh concerns over the fragile ceasefire in the ongoing Iran conflict.
According to authorities in Abu Dhabi, the attack did not cause any radiological leak or injuries. While no group immediately claimed responsibility, suspicion quickly fell on Iran amid rising regional tensions and repeated threats directed at the UAE in recent days.
The strike comes against the backdrop of worsening instability across West Asia, where conflict-linked disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have already triggered a major global energy crisis. The strategic waterway handles nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas shipments.
The UAE has recently hosted Israeli Iron Dome missile defence systems and foreign troops during the conflict, a move that reportedly angered Tehran. The attack on the Barakah facility marks the first known strike targeting the nuclear plant since the beginning of the Iran war.
The UAE’s nuclear regulator confirmed that all four units at the Barakah facility remain operational and safe. “All units are operating as normal,” the authority stated in a post on X, adding that the fire did not impact nuclear safety systems.
The USD 20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant, developed with South Korean assistance and operational since 2020, is the first commercial nuclear power plant in the Arab world and supplies nearly a quarter of the UAE’s electricity needs.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog based in Vienna, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The latest escalation comes as ceasefire negotiations between Iran and the United States remain stalled. US President Donald Trump has warned that hostilities could resume, while Iranian state television has intensified war rhetoric with armed presenters appearing on live broadcasts.
In one televised segment, a presenter received weapons training from a masked member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and mimicked firing toward the UAE flag. Another anchor declared on air that she was prepared to sacrifice her life for Iran while holding a firearm during a live programme.
Regional tensions have also intensified beyond the Gulf, with renewed exchanges of fire reported between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, threatening another ceasefire in the region.
The Barakah incident adds to growing fears over attacks on nuclear infrastructure during wartime. Similar concerns emerged during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and amid repeated claims by Tehran that Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant had previously come under attack.
