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The May 17 drone strike against the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates «a gravement compromis la sûreté nucléaire»IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on Friday, adding that attacking a nuclear facility was “an absolute prohibition, a taboo”.

“This attack caused a fire in an electrical generator located outside the site, making it necessary to use emergency generators.”he explained at the opening of a special meeting of the board of governors at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.

This meeting was convened following a request from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

The United Arab Emirates reacted “Quickly and efficiently to the unthinkable: a direct impact caused by a drone loaded with explosives”added Mr. Grossi, who visited the plant and provided assistance from the IAEA.

The strike could have “result in shutdown of the reactor due to loss of external power supplyâ€he told journalists on site Tuesday. “This means that the people behind this attack knew exactly what they were doing. It’s extremely serious.”.

Built by a South Korean consortium led by the energy supplier Kepco, the Barakah power plant, which entered service in 2020, covers up to 25% of the electricity needs of the Emirates, which attributed this attack to pro-Iranian Iraqi militias.

The incident occurred after several weeks of Iranian drone and missile attacks since the start of the war launched on February 28 by an Israeli-American offensive against Iran. Rafael Grossi “solemnly reiterated its calls to the parties to this conflict, as well as to all parties to all conflicts, to respect the essential pillars guaranteeing nuclear safety and security in times of conflict”.