The UAE has reported a drone strike near the Barakah nuclear power plant in the Al Dhafra region, with a fire breaking out in an electric generator outside the inner perimeter of the plant. No injuries were reported, and authorities say there has been no impact on the plant’s safety.
Journalist Natasha Turak, joining Al Jazeera from Dubai, said no one has claimed responsibility for the attack and Iran has been silent. She noted that the strike appears “quite deliberate,” given the plant’s remote and isolated location. It follows a pattern of drone and missile attacks that have been overwhelmingly from Iran targeting the UAE’s vital power infrastructure. Iran has launched nearly 3,000 attacks via missiles or drones at the UAE — more than any other country in the region, including Israel.
The Barakah plant is the first and only nuclear power plant in the Arab world, built with South Korean help at a cost of $20 billion. It provides about 25 percent of the UAE’s electricity and about 57 percent of domestic household power. The UAE operates under the US-UAE 123 Agreement for peaceful civilian nuclear cooperation, which bars uranium enrichment and fuel reprocessing, making it a “gold standard” example for safe nuclear energy programs.
Turak said the attack highlights the risk of renewed war as none of the driving forces of the conflict have been resolved, including the Strait of Hormuz crisis. The UAE has not confirmed reports of offensive actions against Iran but has also not denied them, which she called “significant.”
Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe
Follow us on X: https://X.com/AJEnglish
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/
Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/
Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile
#UAE #AbuDhabi #BarakahNuclearPowerPlant #AlDhafra #Iran #GulfStates #AbuDhabiDroneStrike #BarakahPlant #IranWar #AlJazeeraEnglish
