Drone strike sparks fire at UAE nuclear power plant in latest blow to Iran ceasefire

This undated photograph released by the United Arab Emirates' state-run WAM news agency shows the under-construction Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi's Western desert. (Arun Girija/Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation/WAM via AP, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A drone strike targeted the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant on Sunday, sparking a fire on its perimeter. There were no reports of injuries or radiological release, but it highlighted the risk of renewed war as the Iran ceasefire remains tenuous.

No one immediately claimed responsibility, and the UAE did not blame anyone. It has however accused Iran of launching drone and missile attacks in recent days as tensions rise over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy waterway still gripped by Iran, which is under a U.S. naval blockade.

The UAE has hosted air defenses and personnel from Israel, which joined the U.S. in the Feb. 28 attack that sparked the war.

U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested hostilities could resume and was expected to speak with Israel’s prime minister on Sunday. Iranian state television has aired segments with news anchors holding rifles in an effort to prepare the public for war. Diplomatic efforts aimed at a more durable peace have faltered.

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

Barakah plant can provide a quarter of the UAE’s energy

The UAE Defense Ministry said three drones had come over its western border with Saudi Arabia, with the other two intercepted. It was investigating who launched them. Iran and Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq have launched repeated drone attacks targeting Gulf Arab states in the war.

The US$20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant was built by the UAE with the help of South Korea and went online in 2020. It is the only nuclear power plant in the Arab world and can provide a quarter of the energy needs in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms that is home to Dubai.

The UAE’s nuclear regulator said on X the fire didn’t affect plant safety and “all units are operating as normal.” Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, later said he spoke by phone with his South Korean counterpart.

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

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

It’s the first time the four-reactor Barakah plant has been targeted in the war. It is near the border with Saudi Arabia, some 225 kilometres (140 miles) west of the UAE’s capital city, Abu Dhabi.

Yemen’s Irani-backed Houthi rebels, whom the UAE has battled as part of a Saudi-led coalition, claimed to have targeted the plant while it was under construction in 2017, which Abu Dhabi denied.

The UAE’s nuclear program is different from Iran’s and Israel’s

The UAE signed a strict deal with the U.S. over the nuclear power plant, known as a “123 agreement,” in which it agreed to forego domestic uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent fuel to ease any proliferation concerns. Its uranium comes from abroad.

That’s very different from the nuclear program in Iran, which is at the heart of long-running tensions with the United States and Israel.

Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, but it has enriched its uranium close to weapons-grade levels and is widely suspected of having had a military component to its program until at least 2003. It has often restricted the work of U.N. inspectors, including since the 12-day war with Israel last year.

Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed country in the region, but has neither confirmed nor denied having atomic weapons. Iran struck near Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility during the war.

Nuclear plants have increasingly been targeted in wars in recent years, including during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022. During the Iran war, Tehran repeatedly claimed its Bushehr nuclear power plant came under attack, though there was no direct damage to its Russian-run reactor or any radiological release.

Ceasefire appears increasingly shaky

Two people familiar with the situation, including an Israeli military officer, said Israel is coordinating with the U.S. about a possible resumption of attacks. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing confidential military preparations.

Speaking to his Cabinet on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “our eyes are also open” when it comes to Iran. He said he planned a chat with Trump later in the day to discuss the president’s trip to China and “perhaps” other things.

“We are prepared for any scenario,” Netanyahu said.

On Iranian state TV, presenters on at least two channels appeared armed during live programs.

One of them, Hossein Hosseini, received basic firearms training from a masked member of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Hosseini mimed firing a shot at the flag of the UAE.

On another channel, Mobina Nasiri said a weapon had been sent to her from a gathering in Tehran’s Vanak Square. “From this platform, I declare that I am ready to sacrifice my life for this country,” she said.

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed.

Jon Gambrell And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press