A drone strike set fire to an electrical generator on the perimeter of the United Arab Emirates’ Barakah nuclear power plant on Sunday, marking the first time the facility has been hit since the Iran war erupted in February. Emirati authorities labeled the assault an “unprovoked terrorist attack” but made no immediate attribution, while the U.S. and Iran escalated their rhetoric about returning to open conflict.
The UAE Defense Ministry said three drones flew into the country from the west, crossing the border with Saudi Arabia. Two were intercepted; the third reached the nuclear site, where it started a fire. “The attack, whether carried out by the principal actor or through one of its proxies, represents a dangerous escalation,” Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said in a social media post. Saudi Arabia’s government condemned the strike and said it later intercepted three drones that had entered Saudi airspace from Iraq.
The $20 billion Barakah plant, built with South Korean assistance and fully operational since 2020, supplies roughly a quarter of the UAE’s electricity and is the only nuclear power plant in the Arab world. Its nuclear regulator said the fire did not affect plant safety and that all four reactor units continued to operate normally. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the strike damaged an electrical generator and that one reactor was drawing power from emergency diesel generators.
The UAE’s nuclear program is governed by a civilian-only cooperation agreement with the United States, under which it forgoes domestic uranium enrichment and reprocessing — a stark contrast to Iran’s program, which has enriched uranium near weapons-grade levels. Israel, widely believed to possess nuclear weapons though it neither confirms nor denies them, saw Iran strike near its Dimona nuclear facility during the war.
Sunday’s attack came as both Washington and Tehran signaled they were ready to resume fighting. “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” President Trump posted on social media after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who earlier told his Cabinet that “our eyes are also open” regarding Iran and that Israel “is prepared for any scenario.”
Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on state television, “Our armed forces’ fingers are on the trigger, while diplomacy is also continuing.” Presenters on at least two Iranian state TV channels appeared armed during live broadcasts. One host, Hossein Hosseini, received firearms training from a masked member of the Revolutionary Guard and mimed shooting at a UAE flag. Another presenter, Mobina Nasiri, displayed a weapon she said had been sent to her and declared she was “ready to sacrifice my life for this country.”
The ceasefire between Israel and Iran has grown tenuous, with diplomatic efforts for a more durable peace faltering. Israel is coordinating with the United States about a possible resumption of attacks, according to two people familiar with the situation, including an Israeli military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential preparations. Meanwhile, fighting has intensified between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, despite a nominal ceasefire there.
The targeting of nuclear infrastructure has become a recurring feature of the conflict. Tehran has repeatedly claimed its Bushehr nuclear power plant came under attack, though no direct damage was reported, and during the 12-day war with Israel last year Iran struck near the Dimona facility. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, also saw nuclear plants repeatedly targeted. The Barakah strike, however, was the first against the UAE’s civilian nuclear power program.