A fire broke out near the perimeter of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) sole nuclear power plant on Sunday after a reported drone strike, sparking concerns that the shaky Iran ceasefire may not hold.
The Associated Press reported that there were no reports of injuries or radiological release.
None of the stakeholders in the Middle East conflict have claimed responsibility for the strike. The UAE is yet to point the blame to any country for the fire, though the emirates has charged that Iran has launched a string of drone strikes and missile attacks recently.
This is the first time the four-reactor Barakah facility has been targeted after the Iran war erupted. The facility is located near the border with Saudi Arabia.
The UAE’s nuclear regulator has said the nuclear power facility’s essential systems are operating normally, CNBC reported.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, whom the UAE have battled as part of a Saudi-led coalition, had reportedly targeted the plant while it was under construction in 2017. Though such a development was denied at the time by Abu Dhabi, it is known that the Houthi’s are backed by Iran.
Despite an uneasy truce there are reports that the ceasefire may not persist, as tensions have risen over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy waterway through which a fifth of global energy supplies were routed ahead of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Though Iran exercises de facto control over the strategic chokehold, the US has enforced a naval blockade of Iranian ports. US President Donald Trump issued a veiled warning over rising tensions in the Middle East by posting an AI-generated image and message that read “calm before the storm.”
Diplomatic efforts aimed at a more durable peace have faltered, though the US hopes China will use its influence over Iran to break the deadlock.
The UAE has also reportedly hosted air defenses and personnel from Israel, which joined the US in the February 28 attack that sparked the Middle East conflict.
Iranian state television has also sparked talk of a resumption of hostilities by telecasting shows in which news anchors holding Kalashnikov-style rifles. Western commentators see this as an effort by the Iranian regime to prepare the public to back a prolonged war. Fighting has also reportedly intensified between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, though a ceasefire is technically in effect there.
The reported fire near the nuclear facility, however, has dragged global attention back to the Middle East conflict after the Trump-Xi meet hogged headlines last week.
The $20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant was built by the UAE with the assistance of South Korea . It started functioning in 2020. The Barakah is also the only nuclear power plant in the Arab world, and produces a quarter of all the energy needs in the UAE.
The emirates’ nuclear regulator has said the fire has not affected the safety of the plant.”All units are operating as normal,” the facility posted on X.
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said said the drone strike caused a fire in an electrical generator. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said one reactor was being powered by emergency diesel generators.