By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Monday issued a sharply worded condemnation of a drone strike the previous day that sparked a fire near the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, describing the incident as a reckless assault on civilian nuclear infrastructure with potentially “catastrophic and irreversible consequences” for human life, the environment and regional stability.
The attack occurred on Sunday when a drone struck an electrical generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. Emirati officials said no injuries were reported and radiation levels remained unaffected. The UAE Defense Ministry added that two other drones involved in the assault were “successfully” intercepted and that all three had been launched from the country’s western border. It provided no further details on their origin.
The Barakah plant, which began commercial operations in 2020 and lies about 200 miles west of Abu Dhabi near the borders with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, supplies as much as a quarter of the UAE’s electricity. The International Atomic Energy Agency said emergency diesel generators were powering Unit 3 after the strike and called for “maximum military restraint” near any nuclear facility. The agency said it was monitoring the situation closely. The UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation later confirmed that the plant remained safe and that no radioactive material had been released.
UAE officials said they were investigating the source of the strike and asserted the country’s “full right” to respond to what they termed “terrorist attacks.” The UAE has previously accused Iran of striking its energy infrastructure in what it has described as an escalation of regional conflict. No group claimed responsibility for Sunday’s incident, and Emirati authorities have not publicly assigned blame.
Pakistan’s statement, released hours after the attack, framed the strike as part of a dangerous pattern in the broader war that erupted Feb. 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Iranian forces have since launched repeated missile barrages and drone attacks against the UAE and other Gulf states that host American military bases, including sites involving civilian and energy infrastructure. A fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran was reached in April, but sporadic attacks have continued.
“Any deliberate targeting of nuclear facilities constitutes a grave violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, the United Nations Charter, and the fundamental principles of nuclear safety and security enshrined in the Statute and resolutions of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” the Foreign Office said. “Nuclear installations must never be targeted under any circumstances.”
The statement continued: “Such reckless actions carry potentially catastrophic and irreversible consequences for human life, the environment and regional as well as global peace and security.” It described the “inviolability of civilian nuclear infrastructure” as “a well-established international norm” that must be upheld without exception. Pakistan called on all parties to exercise “maximum restraint,” fulfill their obligations under international and humanitarian law, and refrain from actions that could widen the conflict “with consequences extending far beyond the region.” The only path forward, it said, is “dialogue and diplomacy, consistent with the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter.”
Several other Arab governments joined in condemnation. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said the attack threatened regional security and expressed solidarity with the UAE. The foreign ministries of Kuwait and Bahrain, along with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, issued similar statements. The episode comes as the United States struggles to consolidate a ceasefire and push Iran toward a more durable peace agreement.
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