UAE blames Iran or its proxies for drone strike fire near nuclear plant | Middle East and north Africa
The United Arab Emirates has blamed a fire near its nuclear power plant on a drone launched by Iran or one of its proxies, in what the UAE called a “dangerous escalation.”
The fire was just outside the Barakah nuclear power plant and did not cause any injuries or radiation alarms, but it occurred six weeks into the Iran war ceasefire, at a highly tense moment when peace talks have stalled and Donald Trump has expressed impatience with the stalemate.
“Time is Ticking for Iran and they better act FAST or there will be nothing left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” the US president wrote on the site Truth Social. Accordingly axiosTrump met with national security advisers at his golf course in Virginia on Saturday and will meet with his national security team on Tuesday to discuss options.
Trump also spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of an Israeli security cabinet meeting to discuss Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza; There is widespread speculation that the Iran war will restart if there are no signs of reconciliation in Israel.
According to reports in state media, UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held meetings with other states in the region, including Saudi Arabia, with which it has recently had tense relations. Riyadh condemned the attack.
The minister also briefed Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on the details of the drone attack. He told Grossi that his country had the right to respond to such “terrorist attacks”.
The UAE has reportedly retaliated against Iran’s previous attacks on its oil infrastructure with airstrikes on Iranian facilities. It tightened its partnership with Israel throughout the war and became the most hawkish among the Gulf states on military action against Iran.
The UAE defense ministry said the drone that targeted the Barakah facility was one of three drones that “entered the country from the direction of the western border.” It was stated that the unmanned aircraft hit “an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah nuclear power plant in the Al Dhafra region.”
The ministry said, “Investigations to determine the source of the attacks are continuing, updates will be announced after the investigations are completed.”
Emirati presidential advisor Anwar Gargash has made clear that he believes the perpetrators are Iran or a regional proxy.
“The targeting of the Barakah clean nuclear power plant by terrorists represents a dangerous escalation, whether carried out by the primary perpetrator or through one of his agents,” Gargash wrote. in x.
Gargash described the incident as “a dark scene that violated all international laws and norms” and accused those responsible of disregarding the lives of civilians.
