DUBAI: A drone strike caused a fire at a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, officials in Abu Dhabi said on Sunday (May 17), at a time when progress appears to have stalled in efforts to end the US-Israeli war with Iran and restart shipping in the Gulf.
Emirati officials did not attribute blame for the attack and there were no immediate claims of responsibility. The UAE has previously accused Iran of attacking its energy targets in what it has called an escalation of the conflict in the region.
The drone hit an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said. Radiological safety levels and operations were unaffected and there were no injuries, it said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was following the situation closely.
During the war that began with US and Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb 28, Iran has repeatedly targeted the UAE and other Gulf states that host US military bases, hitting sites that include civilian and energy infrastructure.
Iran stepped up such attacks on the UAE earlier this month after US President Donald Trump announced a naval mission to try to open the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump suspended after 48 hours.
DIPLOMATIC DEADLOCK
More than five weeks after a tenuous ceasefire in the conflict took effect, US and Iranian demands remain far apart despite diplomatic efforts to end the war and reopen the strait, the world’s most important shipping route for oil and gas.
Washington has called for Tehran to dismantle its nuclear programme and lift its hold on the strait. Iran has demanded compensation for war damage, an end to a US blockade of Iranian ports and a halt to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Trump, who held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week without securing an indication from China that it would help resolve the conflict, has threatened to resume attacks if Iran does not agree to a deal.
