Drone strike sparks fire at UAE's only nuclear plant

A drone strike ignited fires in electrical generators on the perimeter of the United Arab Emirates' Barakah nuclear power plant Sunday, the Korea Times reported, marking the first attack on the Arabian Peninsula's sole nuclear facility during the Iran war.

The strike on Barakah — a $20 billion complex that supplies a quarter of the UAE's electricity — adds new urgency to stalled ceasefire negotiations as Iran maintains its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on regional nuclear infrastructure escalate.

The UAE's nuclear regulator said the blaze did not affect plant safety, according to the Korea Times. "All units are operating as normal," the regulator said. The four reactors at the site were unaffected, and no casualties were reported.

Barakah, which began operations in 2020, is the Arabian Peninsula's first and only nuclear power plant. The $20 billion complex sits in the desert west of Abu Dhabi near the Saudi border and meets roughly one-quarter of the UAE's total energy demand.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack as of Sunday, the Korea Times reported. The strike comes as ceasefire negotiations remain deadlocked and Iran maintains control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas flowed before the war.

Iran has repeatedly threatened the UAE, accusing it of hosting Israeli Iron Dome missile defense systems and combat forces on its territory. Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant has also been targeted during the war, extending a pattern of strikes on civilian and nuclear infrastructure across the region.

On Iranian state television, female presenter Mobina Nasiri appeared armed during a live broadcast. "From this platform, I declare that I am ready to sacrifice my life for this country," she said.

The attack is the first on Barakah since the Iran war began, according to the Korea Times. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency was among the bodies cited as monitoring the situation, as a series of incidents around the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf have marked the widening reach of the conflict.