'Dangerous escalation': India condemns drone attack targeting UAE's Barakah nuclear facility; calls for restraint

The unprecedented strike marks a sharp escalation involving the facility, which is historically notable as the first and only operational nuclear power plant on the Arabian Peninsula.

India on Monday condemned the drone attack targeting the Barakah nuclear facility in the UAE, describing it as a "dangerous escalation", calling for restraint and a return to dialogue and diplomacy.

"India is deeply concerned at the attack targeting the Barakah nuclear facility in the UAE. Such actions are unacceptable and represent a dangerous escalation. We urgently call for restraint and a return to dialogue and diplomacy," The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

New Delhi's statement came after the UAE confirmed attack targeting an electricity generator located outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra region was carried out by a drone.

United Arab Emirate vehemently condemned the attack, calling it a "terrorist attack."
  
In a statement, UAE confirmed that no damage was incurred on the nuclear power plant. 

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) asserted that these attacks marked a dangerous escalation, calling them as an unacceptable act of aggression, and a direct threat to the nation's security. 

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The Ministry emphasized that the targeting peaceful nuclear energy facilities is a flagrant violation of international law, the UN charter, and the principles of humanitarian law, citing the serios risks such actions pose to civilians, the environment, as well as regional and international security.

The Ministry further highlighted that international standards and agreements, including the principles and relevant resolutions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stress the importance of protecting peaceful nuclear facilities and ensuring their safety and security against any hostile actions or military threats.

The UAE also asserted that it will not tolerate any threat to its security and  sovereignty under any circumstances, and affirmed that it reserves the full sovereign, legitimate, diplomatic, and military right to respond to any threats, allegations, or hostile acts in a manner that safeguards its sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity, and the safety of its citizens, residents, and visitors, in accordance with international law.

In its statement, the UAE further stressed that attacks targeting vital and civilian infrastructure are unequivocally condemned and rejected under all legal and humanitarian norms, while calling for an immediate end to these unprovoked attacks and full adherence to the cessation of hostilities.

The unprecedented strike marks a significant escalation involving the facility, which is historically notable as the first and only operational nuclear power plant on the Arabian Peninsula. The USD 20 billion Barakah Nuclear Power Plant was developed by the UAE in technical partnership with South Korea and became operational in 2020.

The evolving situation underscores a growing trend in recent years of nuclear power infrastructure becoming increasingly vulnerable in active conflict zones, a pattern that notably intensified during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

A similar situation has unfolded amid the ongoing Iran conflict, with Tehran repeatedly claiming that its Bushehr nuclear power plant was targeted in hostile attacks. However, those earlier incidents caused no direct structural damage to the Russian-operated reactor and did not result in any radiological leakage.

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