“Terrorist attack”: UAE calls drone attack at nuclear site “dangerous escalation”

The United Arab Emirates issued a condemnation of a drone strike that targeted the perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra region earlier today.

In a statement released by the UAE’s Foreign Ministry, the Gulf country described the incident as an “unprovoked terrorist attack.”

A drone entered UAE territory from the western border direction and struck an electricity generator located outside the plant’s inner perimeter, sparking a fire, according to the statement, adding that there were no injuries and no impact on radiological safety levels or the plant’s operations.

The statement said that the attack constitutes “a dangerous escalation, an unacceptable act of aggression, and a direct threat to the country’s security.”

The Barakah Nuclear Power Plant is the Arab world’s first nuclear facility, comprising four reactors that supply approximately 25% of the UAE’s electricity.

The statement did not specify where the drone was launched from, although the UAE has recently accused Iran of being behind attacks on its energy infrastructure.

Iran launched retaliatory strikes across the Gulf following a February 28 attack by the United States and ‘Israel’, which killed the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic and several senior commanders, triggering a broader regional conflict.

Iran accused the UAE and other US Gulf allies of allowing American forces to launch attacks from their territories, allegations the UAE has strongly denied.

Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire that took effect on April 8, though talks that produced the truce have since stalled.