WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The UN Security Council met in an emergency session in New York to discuss the situation in the Middle East following reports of a drone strike near the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi briefed members as concerns grow over nuclear safety and security in the region.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned the Security Council that a nuclear disaster in the UAE was narrowly averted when Iranian drones struck the Barakah nuclear power plant on Sunday. The attack resulted in a localized fire and while emergency diesel generators were briefly needed, off-site power has now been restored and radiation levels remain normal.
A direct hit could have caused a major radioactive release, Grossi confirmed.
IAEA is in close contact with senior Emirati officials and leaders across the region, many of whom have voiced their grave concern.
Speakers broadly warned that targeting nuclear facilities is a grave violation of international law, with the potential to trigger catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences.
The Barakah attack intensified global alarm over nuclear safety and security and underscored urgent calls for de-escalation and diplomacy.
The UAE Government confirmed that the drone attacks over the past 48 hours, including at Barakah, originated from Iraqi territory.
UAE Ambassador Mohamed Issa Abushahab strongly condemned the 'unlawful, unprovoked terrorist attack' targeting the vicinity of the Barakah plant.
'The deliberate targeting civilian objects is a flagrant violation of international law,' he stressed, describing such actions as 'a red line'.
He underscored the strength of the safety and security systems in place at Barakah, pointing to its multiple layers of protection, which aim to ensure the safe and secure production of clean electricity under a wide range of conditions.
'The absence of catastrophic consequences should not diminish the gravity of this attack,' he told the Council.
UK urged Iran to halt all attacks, including in the Strait of Hormuz.
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