UN rebukes Barakah drone strike

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai

United Nations Security Council members have unanimously condemned a drone strike on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region, warning that any attack on a civilian nuclear facility carries grave risks for human life, critical infrastructure and the environment.
The 15-member council said the strike on an electricity generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter amounted to “a flagrant violation of international law” and called for an immediate and permanent halt to attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in the UAE, including peaceful nuclear facilities. The statement marked a rare unified position by the council at a time of heightened Middle East tensions and widening concern over the vulnerability of strategic energy assets.

No responsibility was assigned by the council. UAE authorities have said six drones were launched towards the country from Iraq, with one reaching the Barakah site. Two other drones were dealt with by defence systems. Iraq hosts armed groups aligned with Iran, though no group has publicly claimed responsibility for the Barakah strike. Baghdad has condemned attacks that threaten regional stability, while avoiding direct acknowledgement of the UAE’s account of the drones’ origin.

The strike caused a fire and damaged an electricity generator linked to external power supply, but UAE nuclear regulators and plant authorities said there were no injuries, no release of radioactive material and no impact on public safety. Radiation levels remained normal, and safety systems at the facility functioned as designed. Emergency diesel generators provided backup power to Unit 3 before external supply was restored.

International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Mariano Grossi told council members that military activity threatening nuclear safety was unacceptable, stressing that restraint around nuclear power plants was essential. His warning has added weight because the global nuclear safety debate has already been sharpened by attacks and military activity around nuclear facilities in Ukraine, as well as the broader confrontation involving Iran’s nuclear programme.

Barakah is the Arab world’s first operational nuclear power plant and one of the UAE’s most important energy assets. Its four APR-1400 reactors, developed with South Korean technology, have a combined capacity of 5.6 gigawatts and are designed to generate about 40 terawatt hours of electricity a year, roughly a quarter of the country’s power demand. The plant is central to the UAE’s strategy to diversify electricity generation, lower reliance on gas-fired power and support long-term decarbonisation targets.

The incident has also raised questions about the adequacy of air defence systems around civilian nuclear infrastructure in an era of long-range drones, low-cost loitering munitions and proxy warfare. Security specialists have warned that even when reactor containment structures remain untouched, attacks on switchyards, generators, cooling-related systems or grid connections can create serious operational stress. Nuclear plants are built with layered safety systems, but their safe operation depends on reliable power, trained personnel, emergency response capacity and uninterrupted command structures.

Regional tensions form the wider backdrop. The attack came amid continuing friction linked to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, with drone launches from Iraqi territory towards Gulf countries becoming a significant security concern. Saudi Arabia has also reported intercepting drones entering from Iraqi airspace, reinforcing fears that armed groups could use regional instability to target energy and transport infrastructure beyond the immediate theatre of conflict.

For the UAE, the strike crosses a sensitive threshold. Abu Dhabi has positioned its nuclear programme as peaceful, internationally monitored and commercially focused, with Barakah operating under the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation and IAEA safeguards. Officials have described the attack as an assault on sovereign territory and civilian infrastructure, while emphasising that the country reserves the right to protect its security under international law.

Diplomats at the UN framed the issue as broader than the UAE. The Security Council’s wording reflected concern that normalising attacks near nuclear facilities could weaken established protections for civilian infrastructure and create environmental risks that would not stop at national borders. Council members also urged states to adhere to the highest standards of nuclear safety, security and safeguards, and to avoid actions that could endanger nuclear facilities.