ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Monday condemned a recent drone strike near the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Abu Dhabi, expressing solidarity with the Gulf nation and urging all parties to the US-Iran conflict to exercise maximum restraint amid regional tensions.
The Abu Dhabi Media Office reported on Sunday afternoon that a drone strike caused a fire to break out in an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the nuclear power plant. It said no injuries were reported, and that radiation levels remained normal.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack, and the UAE has also not publicly blamed anyone. However, Iran has fired a barrage of missiles and carried out drone strikes against the UAE and other Gulf nations before it agreed to a fragile ceasefire with the US in April. Attacks against the UAE have continued even despite the ceasefire.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the drone attack on the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates on 17 May 2026,” the foreign office said in a statement. “Pakistan stands in full solidarity with the brotherly people and Government of the UAE.”
The statement said deliberate targeting of nuclear facilities is a “grave violation” of international law, humanitarian law, the United Nations Charter and the fundamental principles of nuclear safety and security enshrined in the statute and resolutions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Pakistan’s foreign office said nuclear installations must never be targeted under any circumstances.
“Such reckless actions carry potentially catastrophic and irreversible consequences for human life, the environment and regional as well as global peace and security,” it said.
Pakistan urged all parties in the US-Iran conflict to exercise maximum restraint, fulfil their obligations under international law, and avoid actions that could further escalate tensions.
“Dialogue and diplomacy, consistent with the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter, remain the only viable path toward lasting peace, stability, and de-escalation in the region,” the foreign office concluded.
Several Arab countries have condemned the drone strike, with the Saudi foreign ministry saying the attack threatens regional security and stability, and expressed its solidarity with the UAE.
The foreign ministries of Kuwait and Bahrain, along with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, also condemned the attack.
The development takes place as tensions persist between the US and Iran, which have been locked in conflict since February. Washington has struggled to break an impasse and make any progress toward ending a war that has shaken the Middle East and sent energy prices climbing.
US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran on Sunday, saying Tehran had to move quickly toward a peace deal or “there won’t be anything left of them.”
“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!“
