New Delhi/Abu Dhabi: Voicing deep concern over the drone strike targeting the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India has warned that any strike linked to a civilian nuclear installation poses serious risks to regional stability and international security.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has called the incident a “dangerous escalation” in a statement issued on Monday. It has also urged all sides to exercise restraint and return to dialogue and diplomacy amid rising tensions in the region, as reported by The Statesman.
New Delhi reacted after the UAE confirmed that a drone had targeted an electricity generator located outside the inner perimeter of the nuclear facility in the Al Dhafra region. While the facility itself suffered no damage, the attack has triggered alarm because of the sensitive nature of the site and the potential consequences of any escalation involving nuclear infrastructure.
Abu Dhabi strongly condemned the incident and called it a “terrorist attack”, while authorities clarified that no operational damage or radiation threat had been reported.
The attack represented a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable act of aggression that directly threatened the country’s security and sovereignty, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said
Targeting peaceful nuclear energy facilities amounted to a serious violation of international law, the UN Charter and humanitarian principles because of the potential risks posed to civilians, the environment and regional security, the ministry further stated.
International agreements and standards, including principles laid down by the International Atomic Energy Agency, require the protection of civilian nuclear facilities from military threats and hostile acts, the UAE said.
The country reserved the right to respond to any threat against its sovereignty and national security through legitimate diplomatic or military measures in accordance with international law, officials in Abu Dhabi said.
The Barakah nuclear power plant holds strategic significance as the first and only operational nuclear energy facility on the Arabian Peninsula. Built by the UAE in collaboration with South Korea at a cost of nearly USD 20 billion, the plant became operational in 2020 and is considered central to the UAE’s long-term energy diversification plans.
