Drone strike sparks fire on the edge of the UAE's nuclear power plant in latest blow to Iran truce

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A drone onslaught targeted the United Arab Emirates’ sole atomic powerfulness works connected Sunday, sparking a occurrence connected its perimeter. There were nary reports of injuries oregon radiological release, but it highlighted the hazard of renewed warfare arsenic the Iran ceasefire remains tenuous.

No 1 instantly claimed responsibility, and the UAE did not blasted anyone. It has nevertheless accused Iran of launching aggregate drone and rocket attacks successful caller days arsenic tensions person risen implicit the Strait of Hormuz, a captious vigor waterway that Iran inactive has successful a chokehold.

The United States is blockading Iranian ports and diplomatic efforts aimed astatine a much durable bid person repeatedly faltered. The UAE has meantime hosted aerial defenses and unit from Israel, which joined the U.S. successful the Feb. 28 onslaught that sparked the war.

U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested hostilities could resume, and Iranian authorities tv has repeatedly aired segments with anchors holding Kalashnikov-style rifles successful an effort to hole the nationalist for war. Fighting has besides heated up betwixt Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant radical successful Lebanon contempt a nominal ceasefire there, further straining the wider truce.

Barakah works provides tin supply a 4th of UAE's energy

The $20 cardinal Barakah atomic powerfulness works was built by the UAE with the assistance of South Korea and went online successful 2020. It is the archetypal and lone atomic powerfulness works successful the Arab satellite and tin supply a 4th of each the vigor needs successful the UAE, a federation of 7 sheikhdoms.

The UAE’s atomic regulator said the occurrence didn’t impact works safety. “All units are operating arsenic normal,” the enactment wrote connected X.

The UAE connection didn’t blasted immoderate enactment for the attack. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ atomic watchdog, said the onslaught caused a occurrence successful an electrical generator and that 1 reactor was being powered by exigency diesel generators.

IAEA director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi expressed “grave concern” astir the incidental and said subject enactment that threatens atomic information is unacceptable, the bureau said successful a statement.

Sunday’s onslaught marked the archetypal clip the four-reactor Barakah works has been targeted successful the war. It is adjacent the borderline with Saudi Arabia, immoderate 225 kilometers (140 miles) westbound of the UAE's superior city, Abu Dhabi.

Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, whom the UAE person battled arsenic portion of a Saudi-led coalition, claimed to person targeted the works portion it was nether operation successful 2017, thing denied astatine the clip by Abu Dhabi.

A antithetic programme than Iran's oregon Israel's

The UAE signed a strict woody with the U.S. implicit the powerfulness plant, known arsenic a “123 agreement,” successful which it agreed to springiness up home uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent substance to halt immoderate proliferation fears. Its uranium comes from abroad.

That's precise antithetic from the atomic programme successful Iran, which is astatine the bosom of its long-running struggle with the United States and Israel.

Iran insists its programme is for peaceful purposes, but it has enriched its ain uranium adjacent to weapons-grade levels and is wide suspected of having had a subject constituent to its programme until astatine slightest 2003. It has besides often restricted the enactment of U.N. inspectors.

Israel is wide believed to beryllium the lone nuclear-armed state successful the region, but has neither confirmed nor denied having atomic weapons. Iran struck adjacent Israel's Dimona atomic installation during the war.

Nuclear powerfulness plants progressively targeted successful war

Nuclear plants person progressively been targeted successful wars successful caller years, including during Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022. During the Iran war, Tehran repeatedly claimed its Bushehr atomic powerfulness works came nether attack, though determination was nary nonstop harm to its Russian-run reactor nor immoderate radiological release.

There person been respective instances of attacks astir the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf countries implicit the past respective weeks. Talks betwixt Iran and the U.S. are astatine a standstill arsenic the shaky ceasefire threatens to illness and extremity the Middle East backmost into unfastened warfare, prolonging the worldwide vigor situation sparked by the conflict.

On Iranian authorities TV, presenters connected astatine slightest 2 channels appeared equipped during unrecorded programs.

In 1 program, Hossein Hosseini received basal firearms grooming from a masked subordinate of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. After being shown however to hole the weapon, Hosseini mimed firing a changeable astatine the emblem of the UAE.

On different channel, pistillate presenter Mobina Nasiri said a limb had been sent to her from a gathering successful Tehran’s Vanak Square truthful she could look equipped connected camera. She said: “From this platform, I state that I americium acceptable to sacrifice my beingness for this country.”

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat successful Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

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