The UN Security Council unanimously condemned a drone strike on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant on Tuesday, after Abu Dhabi said the attack originated from Iraq, where Iran-backed groups have been active since the Middle East war began.

The unclaimed drone struck an electrical generator on Sunday, triggering a fire but causing no injuries or radiation leak.

What happened in the drone attack on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant?

A drone hit an electrical generator near Barakah, the Arab world’s first nuclear power plant, located in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, on Sunday. The strike caused a fire but no injuries and no radiation leak. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Abu Dhabi said Tuesday that the drones came from Iraq, where Iran-backed groups have carried out attacks against Gulf nations since the Middle East war erupted.

The UAE urged the Security Council to condemn the escalation and affirm that targeting peaceful nuclear facilities is a violation of international law. The attack prompted an emergency Security Council meeting convened the same day.

What did Russia say about the Barakah nuclear plant attack?

Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzya condemned the strike, saying attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities “are categorically unacceptable.” He said Russia condemns those who carried out the strike, warning it created risks of escalation, though he stopped short of naming any party responsible.

He added that the strike likely would not have occurred without the US-Israeli military operation against Iran, Moscow’s long-standing ally.

All other Security Council members, from China to the United States, also condemned the attack. US ambassador Mike Waltz called the strikes “outrageous and unacceptable” and questioned what message the attack sent to the world. “What sane nation, either directly or indirectly through proxies, sends drone attacks into an active and ongoing nuclear power plant?” Waltz asked.

What are the wider implications for nuclear safety in the region?

Waltz went further, suggesting the attack pointed to a deliberate strategy. He asked whether Iran, unable to develop or deploy a nuclear weapon, was now seeking to weaponize a neighboring country’s nuclear plant through proxies. “I struggle to come to any other conclusion,” he said. UN News reported that concerns over nuclear safety in the region were growing following the strike.

The Barakah plant sits in Abu Dhabi and represents a significant piece of civilian energy infrastructure for the UAE. Targeting it, even without causing a radiation leak, crossed a line that drew a rare unified response from all Security Council members.

The UAE’s mission to the UN described attacking peaceful nuclear energy facilities as “a redline and a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter.”