Overview
- A drone strike on May 17 hit external electrical infrastructure at the Barakah nuclear plant, damaging a generator, causing a fire and forcing a reactor shutdown because of the loss of external power.
- IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi visited the site and reported that operators followed protocols, layered safety systems contained the incident, and there was never a radiological emergency.
- Grossi described the attack as a "very carefully targeted operation" that showed the perpetrators understood the plant's vulnerabilities and called the incident one of "extreme gravity."
- UAE officials have publicly attributed the strike to militants launching drones from Iraqi territory, but the IAEA said it lacks conclusive evidence and investigations and attribution efforts are continuing.
- The IAEA will provide technical support, hold a special Board of Governors session and run a lessons‑sharing workshop with the UAE as states weigh stronger protection for civilian nuclear sites and assess regional security risks.