Pakistan Condemns Drone Attack on UAE’s Barakah Nuclear Plant

Pakistan has strongly condemned a drone attack on the United Arab Emirates’ Barakah nuclear power plant, expressing full solidarity with the Gulf nation and warning of potentially catastrophic consequences for regional and global security.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged all parties to “exercise maximum restraint,” stating that “dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path toward lasting regional peace.” In a separate statement, the Foreign Office called the deliberate targeting of a nuclear facility a grave violation of international law, including the UN Charter and IAEA principles. The FO stressed that such “reckless actions carry potentially catastrophic and irreversible consequences for human life, the environment and regional as well as global peace and security,” and that the inviolability of civilian nuclear infrastructure must be upheld.

According to the UAE’s defence ministry, the drone strike on Sunday triggered a fire near the plant in Abu Dhabi after hitting an electrical generator outside the facility’s inner perimeter. Officials reported no injuries or impact on radiation levels. Two other drones were reportedly intercepted, with Emirati authorities vowing to investigate and respond to the “terrorist attacks.” The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the plant’s unit 3 was operating on emergency diesel generators and called for “maximum military restraint” near nuclear facilities.

The Barakah plant, which began operations in 2020 and is located 200km west of Abu Dhabi, provides up to a quarter of the UAE’s electricity needs.

The incident occurs amid heightened regional instability. A separate drone attack on a UAE warship was also recently reported. In response, Iranian officials denied seeking enmity with the UAE and requested details, while warning the Emirates against Israeli conspiracies. In another incident, Saudi Arabia’s air defences intercepted drone attacks allegedly launched from Iraqi territory, prompting Baghdad to launch an investigation.