Drone strike targeting UAE’s only nuclear power plant sparks fire | News World

A drone strike has targeted the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant, sparking a fire on its perimeter.

There were no reports of injuries or radiological release, but the strike has worried locals as the Iran ceasefire remains tenuous.

No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the targeted strike, and the UAE has not blamed anyone.

It has, however, accused Iran of launching multiple drone and missile attacks in recent days as tensions have risen over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy waterway that Iran still has in a chokehold.

This weekend, President Donald Trump suggested hostilities could resume as diplomatic efforts aimed at a more durable peace have repeatedly faltered.

Iranian state television has also repeatedly aired segments with anchors holding Kalashnikov-style rifles in an effort to prepare the public for war – including one segment, where the anchor fired directly at the UAE flag.

The 20 billion dollar Barakah nuclear power plant was built by the UAE with the help of South Korea and went online in 2020.

It is the first and only nuclear power plant in the Arab world and can provide a quarter of all the energy needs in the country.

The UAE’s nuclear regulator said the fire did not affect plant safety and confirmed that all units are operating normally.

The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said the strike caused a fire in an electrical generator and that one reactor was being powered by emergency diesel generators.

IAEA director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi expressed ‘grave concern’ about the incident and said military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable, the agency said in a statement.

Sunday’s strike marked the first time the four-reactor Barakah plant has been targeted in the war.

It is near the border with Saudi Arabia, some 140 miles west of the UAE’s capital city, Abu Dhabi.

Fighting has also heated up between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon despite a nominal ceasefire there.

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