The United Arab Emirates (UAE) stated on May 17 that a drone struck a generator at its nuclear power plant and caused a fire amid a continuing ceasefire between Iran and the United States. No country has taken responsibility.
The Gulf Arab country’s ministry of defense reported that three drones on May 17 entered the country from its western border area. Two of the drones were successfully intercepted by its defense systems, while the third drone hit an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the UAE’s Al Dhafra region.
The UAE Ministry of Defense did not assign blame for the drones and stated that an investigation is underway. More details will be announced after the probe is completed, it stated.
“[The UAE] remains fully prepared and ready to address any threats and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine the country’s security, in a manner that safeguards its sovereignty, security and stability, and protects its national interests and gains,” the ministry said in a statement.
The $20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant, built by the UAE with the help of South Korea, went online in 2020. It is the only nuclear power plant in the Arab world and can provide a quarter of the energy needs in the UAE, a wealthy oil-rich nation that is home to major trade, tourism, and finance hub Dubai.
The UAE’s nuclear regulator said in a statement that the fire didn’t affect plant safety and that “all units are operating as normal.” Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, later said he spoke by phone with his South Korean counterpart.
The head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, held a meeting with the deputy prime minister of the UAE, Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE Foreign Ministry stated in a post on X.
The attack on the power plant sparked a fire, but no casualties were reported, and there was no impact on radiation levels, the foreign ministry stated. It noted that Zayed told the U.N. watchdog’s head, Rafael Grossi, that he “strongly condemned the treacherous terrorist attack that resulted in a fire in an electrical generator.”
While no one has yet claimed responsibility, the UAE has accused Iran of launching drone and missile attacks in recent days amid tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy waterway still gripped by Iran, which is under a U.S. naval blockade.
Since the start of the U.S.–Iran conflict, Tehran has launched drones and missiles at the UAE, commercial vessels in the region, and at other Gulf Arab states, which it has justified by saying that those countries have been supporting the U.S. effort against Iran.
Earlier this month, the UAE stated that it came under fire from Iran and that it was “actively engaging” with Iranian drones and missiles. Iran also attacked the UAE’s key oil facility and industrial zone, known as Fujairah, at roughly the same time, officials said.
The UAE and Israel have confirmed that the Gulf Arab nation has also hosted air defenses and personnel from Israel, which joined the U.S. military in the Feb. 28 strikes on Iran that sparked the war.
The May 17 incident comes as a ceasefire between the United States and Iran still appears to be holding up, although U.S. President Donald Trump last week signaled that hostilities could start again after he rejected a new peace proposal from Tehran.
Trump also told reporters on Air Force One that the United States or China could enter Iran to remove what he termed “nuclear dust,” referring to enriched uranium that was buried under rubble in the aftermath of U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran in the summer of 2025.
On May 17, Trump sent a new warning to Iran’s leadership that Tehran must move quickly or “there won’t be anything left.”
“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST … TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Iranian officials signaled on May 17 that they are prepared for the conflict to resume.
An Iranian military official, Abolfazl Shekarchi, released a statement on May 17 that future U.S. strikes on Iran would be met with “crushing and severe blows for that country” and said it would trigger a “self-created quagmire” for the Trump administration, according to the semi-official IRNA news agency.
Washington has called for Tehran to dismantle its nuclear program and stop trying to control the strait. Iran has demanded compensation for war damages, an end to a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, and a halt to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.
Before the ceasefire was announced last month, Trump warned that he would strike Iranian bridges and power plants if the regime did not come to an agreement with the United States.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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