The United Arab Emirates confirmed on Tuesday that the drones used in last week’s attack on its nuclear power plant were launched from Iraq. The announcement links the strike to Iraqi territory, where Iranian-backed militant groups have frequently launched operations since the outbreak of the regional war.
On Sunday, an unclaimed drone strike hit an electrical generator near the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. While the attack triggered a fire, authorities confirmed it caused no injuries or radiation leaks. Two additional drones involved in the operation were successfully intercepted by UAE air defense systems.
Located near the borders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the Barakah facility is the Arab world’s only operational nuclear power plant. The location of the strike has sparked widespread security concerns across the Gulf region due to the catastrophic environmental risks of a potential radiation breach.
“As part of the ongoing investigation into the blatant attack on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant on May 17, 2026, technical tracking and monitoring confirmed that the three drones… all originated from Iraqi territory,” the Emirati Ministry of Defence said in an official statement.
The ministry further revealed that authorities have intercepted an additional six drones originating from Iraq over the last 48 hours, which were attempting to target vital civilian infrastructure.
Prior to Abu Dhabi’s formal announcement pinning the launch location on Iraq, Iraqi authorities had already issued a statement condemning the attack.
Regional tensions escalated significantly after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran to retaliate against US assets, energy networks, and civilian infrastructure across the Gulf. Tehran-backed Iraqi militias actively intervened to support Iran, striking several US and allied facilities before a ceasefire was established on April 8.
While Iran-backed groups in Iraq have officially abstained from claiming responsibility for any military operations since the April truce took effect, Gulf nations have consistently reported cross-border drone activity.
Until Sunday’s incident, nuclear facilities had remained strictly off-limits. However, the Barakah plant—which generates nearly 25% of the UAE’s total electricity—has been a known target. In March, Iranian state media published a compiled list of critical regional infrastructure marked as potential targets, explicitly naming the Barakah facility.
In a related development on Sunday, Saudi Arabia reported intercepting several drones entering its airspace from Iraq. Meanwhile, authorities in Baghdad maintained that their domestic defense tracking systems had detected no drone launches originating from Iraqi territory toward the Saudi Kingdom.