Drone Strike Sparks Fire at UAE’s Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, UAE Says

A drone strike sparked a fire on the perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates, with Abu Dhabi authorities saying the blaze broke out at an electrical generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter in the Al Dhafra region on Sunday.

The UAE’s Defence Ministry said air defences dealt “successfully” with two drones while a third hit a generator near the plant, and it added the drones were launched from the “western border”.

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No injuries were reported and officials said radiation levels remained normal, while the UAE’s nuclear regulator said operations at the facility were not affected and “All units are operating as normal.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the incident forced one reactor to rely temporarily on emergency diesel generators, and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi expressed “grave concern” about military activity threatening nuclear facilities.

The Los Angeles Times described the attack as involving three drones from near the Saudi border and said it was the first on Barakah, the only nuclear plant in the Arab world.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran in a Truth Social post that “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” as the ceasefire between Iran and the United States remained fragile.

A senior spokesperson for the Iranian armed forces, Abolfazl Shekarchi, responded that if Trump’s threats were carried out, the US would “face new, aggressive, and surprise scenarios, and sink into a self-made quagmire”.

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The UAE said the incident was a “dangerous escalation” and called it an “unacceptable act of aggression,” while its Defence Ministry said investigations were underway to determine the source of the drone attack.

The Jerusalem Post reported that two sources familiar with the details told it the drone attack was intended to “send a message” to the Emiratis, and it quoted one source saying: “We can also strike the nuclear reactor itself and trigger a nuclear incident.”

The BBC said the UAE’s foreign ministry called the strike an “unacceptable act of aggression” and said it had the right to respond to any hostilities, while officials said they were investigating the source of the strike.

The IAEA said Sunday’s incident forced one reactor to rely temporarily on emergency diesel generators, and it warned that military activity threatening nuclear facilities was “unacceptable” as it said it was following the situation closely and in constant contact with UAE authorities.

The UAE’s Foreign Ministry rejected what it described as Iranian attempts to justify attacks on Emirati territory and said it reserved the right to respond to any threats, while the UAE’s Defence Ministry said it was investigating who launched the drones.

The Los Angeles Times said the strike highlighted the risk of renewed war as the Iran ceasefire remains tenuous, and it reported that Iranian state television aired segments with news anchors holding rifles to prepare the public for war.

The AP said the drone strike was described by authorities as an “unprovoked terrorist attack,” and it noted that the UAE has hosted air defenses and personnel from Israel, which joined the U.S. in the Feb. 28 attack that sparked the war.

In parallel, the BBC said sporadic exchanges of fire continued after the April ceasefire, and it quoted President Donald Trump saying the truce was on “massive life support” after rejecting Iran’s demands to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.