Drone Sets Fire Near U.A.E. Nuclear Plant --- Gulf state suspects Iran but doesn't cast blame publicly for terrorist targeting

 

 

“A drone strike set off a fire near the United Arab Emirates' nuclear-power station, authorities in the Persian Gulf state said, a sign of the growing risks as the Iran war drags on.

 

U.A.E. defense officials said their air defenses engaged three drones fired across the country's western border, downing two of them. A third drone got through and caused a fire at an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant about 175 miles west of the capital, Abu Dhabi.

 

The U.A.E. said the drones came across its western border and that it was still investigating the source. People familiar with the matter said it suspects the attack was the work of Iran, which it has blamed for more than 2,800 drone and missile attacks this year.

 

Iran-backed militant groups in Iraq and Yemen have the capability to hit the Emirates from the west, though none claimed responsibility.

 

"The terrorist targeting of the Barakah clean nuclear power plant, whether carried out by the principal perpetrator or through one of its agents, represents a dangerous escalation and a dark scene that violates all international laws and norms, in criminal disregard for the lives of civilians," said Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the U.A.E. president.

 

Saudi Arabia on Sunday said it had intercepted and destroyed three drones that entered the kingdoms airspace from Iraqi territory. It wasnt clear if those drones were linked to the attack on the U.A.E. reactor.

 

Radiation levels were normal, and the nuclear station -- where four reactors supply 25% of the Emirates' power needs -- continued to operate, the Abu Dhabi media office said. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said one of the reactors was on emergency diesel-generator power following the strike.

 

The agency's director, Rafael Grossi, expressed grave concern about the incident and called for maximum military restraint around nuclear plants.

 

The attack comes amid fresh threats by President Trump to take military action if Iran doesn't agree to a deal to end the war.

 

Diplomats continue to work on a deal, with Iranian media reporting that Tehran had recently received a new U.S. proposal for ending the conflict and had given its reaction to Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict.

 

There was no response from the White House on the Iranian media reports.

 

The two sides are far apart on issues like Iran's nuclear program and the extent to which it should have any control over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said a week ago that Iran's previous response had been "totally unacceptable."

 

Iranian state media listed the nuclear plant among Iran's targets for retaliation after Trump threatened in late March to obliterate the country's power plants starting with the biggest one if Tehran didn't lift its chokehold on the strait.

 

Trump hasn't carried out the threat, and Iran continues to bottle up the strategic waterway. Iran, however, has continued to target the U.A.E. and has sharpened its threats after the Gulf state said it would strengthen its security ties with the U.S. and Israel to counter the threat from Iran.

 

The U.S. and Israel carried out widespread strikes on Iranian nuclear sites since last June, including in this year's fighting, although none of them caused any kind of radioactive fallout. The strikes included attacks very close to Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor.

 

Iran, backed by Russia, has repeatedly called for international condemnation of strikes on nuclear facilities.

 

The U.A.E. has carried out military strikes on Iran since early in the war, hitting targets including a crude-oil refinery on Lavan Island in early April, in coordination with the U.S. and Israel, The Wall Street Journal earlier reported.

 

The Barakah plant was built under a 2009 agreement with the U.S. that allowed the transfer of peaceful nuclear technology in exchange for U.A.E. agreements to allow inspections and import its fuel rather than enrich or reprocess uranium domestically.” [1]

 

It is good that Lithuanian referendum didn’t allow to build a nuclear power plant on our territory by Japanese. Lithuanian government shows no ability to stop Ukrainian drones with explosives from flying into Lithuanian territory and losing control here.

 

A suspected Ukrainian drone crashed in a field in the Utena district of eastern Lithuania. The drone entered Lithuanian airspace undetected and triggered a high-level security accident. While the drone crashed, initial investigations by Lithuanian authorities found no visible signs of an explosion at the crash site.

Background on Drone Incidents

•           The Incident: On May 17, local residents in the Samanė village reported a downed drone. Preliminary wreckage analysis suggests the craft belongs to Ukraine.

•           Prior Crashes: A similar incident occurred in March, when a suspected Ukrainian drone targeting Russia veered off course and crashed into a lake in the Varėna district.

•           Government Stance: In response to these stray aircraft, President Gitanas Nausėda stated that Lithuania will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for foreign drone strikes against neighboring countries, as it violates international law.

•           Response Efforts: Lithuania's National Crisis Management Centre is investigating the breaches.

Status of Nuclear Power in Lithuania

•           Referendum: The decision not to construct a new nuclear power plant originated in a 2012 national advisory referendum, where about 65% of voters rejected the Visaginas plant proposed by Japanese.

•           Prior Context: This public pushback followed the 2011 Fukushima disaster and public skepticism over Japanese backing and the high costs of the project.

•           Present Day: Lithuania's only Soviet-era facility, the Ignalina plant, was decommissioned as a requirement for joining the European Union. Today, the country's grid remains disconnected from Russian and Belarusian systems, and authorities have begun exploring small modular nuclear reactors to meet future energy demands. These explorations must stop now.

 

1. World News: Drone Sets Fire Near U.A.E. Nuclear Plant --- Gulf state suspects Iran but doesn't cast blame publicly for terrorist targeting. Dowell, Andrew; Norman, Laurence; Said, Summer.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 18 May 2026: A7.