The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi says a drone attack on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates has threatened nuclear safety in the country.
“A drone strike on the morning of Sunday 17 May caused a fire in an electrical generator located outside the inner site perimeter of the plant,” Grossi told the United Nations Security Council on May 19.
Grossi has since been in contact with leaders in UAE and throughout the Gulf region and says there is a feeling of unease and great concern. He has been discussing how the IAEA can offer further assistance and pointed to agency activities in Ukraine, where it has deployed security and safety experts on the ground.
“The situation is of grave concern. This is a nuclear site in the Middle East where the consequences of an attack could be most serious. It is an operating nuclear power plant and as such it hosts thousands of kilogrammes of nuclear material in the core of the reactors, fresh and spent fuel. I want to make it absolutely and completely clear: In case of an attack on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant a direct hit could result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment.
“A hit that disabled the lines supplying electrical power to the plant could increase the likelihood of its reactors’ cores melting, which could result in a high release of radioactivity. In their worst cases, both scenarios would necessitate protective actions, such as evacuations and sheltering of the population or the need to take stable iodine, with the reach extending to distances from a few to several hundred kilometres. Radiation monitoring would need to cover distances of several hundred kilometres and food restrictions may need to be implemented.”
Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) are protected under international humanitarian law and Grossi said drone attacks are especially dangerous when they are against operating nuclear power plants like Zaporizhzya NPP, Kursk NPP, Bushehr NPP, Barakah NPP.
“I again, as I did in June 2025 when I last briefed this chamber, call on maximum restraint. Military activities against NPPs and other nuclear facilities carry undeniable risks.”
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Image: IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi addressing the UN Security Council on 19 May 2026. (Loey Felipe / United Nations)
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