'Dangerous Escalation': India After Drone Attack Targets UAE Nuclear Power Plant

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Union Ministry of External Affairs has expressed deep concern over the drone attack that targetted the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates, causing a fire along the perimeter. In a statement on Sunday, the foreign ministry said: "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 UAE has not named any country or group for the attack and neither has any responsibility been claimed so far. Officials have described the incident as an "unprovoked terrorist attack". The strike comes amid rising regional tensions over the war in Iran.

Drones Intercepted

The UAE Defence Ministry said three drones approached the country's western border with Saudi Arabia, with two intercepted before reaching their targets. Authorities said an investigation into the source of the drones was under way. Iran and Iran-backed militias in Iraq have previously launched drone attacks targeting Gulf Arab states during the ongoing regional conflict.

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The UAE has also hosted Israeli air defence systems and personnel since the war began after Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on 28 February. US President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, according to Netanyahu's office. "For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them," Trump later posted on social media.

What We Know About Barakah Nuclear Plant

The nuclear power plant has been built with the assistance from South Korea at a cost of $20 billion and started operations in 2020. It is the only nuclear power facility in the Gulf and supplies around a quarter of the UAE's electricity needs. The UAE's nuclear regulator said on X that the fire did not affect operational safety and that "all units are operating as normal". The International Atomic Energy Agency said the strike caused a fire in an electrical generator and that one reactor was temporarily operating on emergency diesel generators. IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi also expressed "grave concern", the agency said. Grossi later spoke with the UAE's foreign minister following the incident.

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Middle East Tensions

Iranian state television aired footage showing news presenters holding rifles as part of what appeared to be wartime broadcasts aimed at preparing the public for further escalation. Diplomatic efforts to secure a longer-term peace settlement in the region have struggled, while fighting has intensified between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon despite an existing ceasefire. The Barakah facility had previously been threatened during the Yemen conflict. In 2017, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis claimed to have targeted the plant while it was still under construction, a claim denied at the time by Abu Dhabi.