Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Briefing in Connection with the Attack on the Barakah Plant in the UAE
Mr. President,
We would like to thank Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for his briefing.
According to reports, on May 17, a drone strike caused a blaze in an electrical generator, which was located outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to the UAE Ministry of Defense, the drone entered the country’s airspace from Iraqi territory. The IAEA reports – as was also mentioned by Mr. Grossi today – that following the attack, emergency diesel generators were used to provide power to one of the plant’s power units (No. 3). Fortunately, radiation levels remain benign. However, this fact in no way diminishes the overly dangerous nature of this incident.
Russia’s position on nuclear safety and security is principled and consistent in nature. Attacks on civilian nuclear facilities in any country in the world, especially those under IAEA safeguards, are categorically unacceptable. Such actions constitute violations of international law, international humanitarian law, specialized conventions, and nuclear safety standards. Under no circumstances can such attacks be carried out. Against this backdrop, our country firmly condemns the actions of those who hit a nuclear power plant in the UAE, thereby generating risks of escalation that may further undermine regional and global security.
In light of the current situation in the Middle East, our country has repeatedly reaffirmed our commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the region barring none, including the UAE. We consider unacceptable attacks targeting civilian infrastructure of the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). And if this infrastructure is linked to nuclear facilities – as is the case with the incident under consideration today – such actions are all the more alarming. We trust that all stakeholders will take all necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such dangerous incidents, including those that pose safety and security threats to the Barakah NPP.
Mr. President,
Unfortunately, the incident under discussion today is by no means the first attack targeting a civilian nuclear facility in the context of the current escalation in the Middle East.
Back in June 2025, Israel and the United States carried out direct strikes targeting industrial facilities and research centers on Iranian soil – in Fordo, Natanz, Isfahan, and Arak. However, the situation became even more perilous in the wake of February 28, 2026, with the onset of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran. In recent months, beyond most of the facilities mentioned, strikes were also launched against the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which was built and made operational with the direct participation of the Russian Federation. And this did not happen once, nor did it happen twice. Attacks in the immediate proximity of its operating power unit took place on March 17, 24, and 27, as well as on April 4. The most recent attack resulted in tragedy: a security officer, an Iranian citizen, died. Moreover, from March 10 to April 1, a host of missile strikes were carried out against the satellite towns around the NPP and their vicinity. Not only did all these illegal and reckless actions brought the entire Middle East region to the brink of a nuclear and radiological catastrophe, but also they posed a threat to the safety, the lives, and the health of Russian specialists working at this facility, as well as their families. As a result, the Rosatom Corporation and personnel of Russian diplomatic missions in Iran had to conduct an exceedingly complex operation to evacuate our nationals from the plant that was under fire.
The Russian Federation has repeatedly drawn attention to the attacks targeting the Bushehr Plant, including in relevant statements by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We note that the Director General of the IAEA has also voiced his assessments on this matter. In particular, Mr. Grossi expressed deep concern regarding the attacks targeting the operating plant.
Against this backdrop, we are genuinely perplexed by the fact that UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who yesterday expressed his deep alarm over the strike in the vicinity of the Barakah NPP, had previously never deemed it necessary to somehow react to the numerous attacks targeting the Bushehr Plant. Such double standards and attempts to hush up the most egregious and exceedingly dangerous violations of international law, especially on such a sensitive matter, are utterly unacceptable.
Incidentally, this fully applies to the criminal attacks by the Kiev regime targeting a Russian civilian nuclear facility – the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). On April 27, one of the plant’s employees was killed as a result of such actions by the Ukrainian army. And on May 16, a Ukrainian drone crashed on the territory of the facility; fortunately, it did not detonate. In subsequent days, there were also recorded other attempted attacks on the ZNPP. We are compelled to note that these incidents, unlike the strike on the Barakah Plant, never received a due reaction from the UN Secretariat and the IAEA. This is particularly surprising given that the IAEA has its experts at the ZNPP who can witness firsthand the Ukrainian attacks and the consequences thereof.
We demand that our colleagues at the IAEA Secretariat provide unequivocal assessments of these criminal acts by Kiev, and to issue stringent warnings to those countries that continue to stoke military escalation around Iran, threatening with further attacks against its peaceful nuclear facilities.
The international community has an obligation to prevent such actions from becoming “routine” anywhere in the world – either in the Middle East or in Europe – and to compel the “hotheads” to stop jeopardizing the lives of millions of people. The leadership of specialized international organizations must assume a principled stance on this matter and send unambiguous messages about the inadmissibility of such actions. When it comes to nuclear safety and security, double standards and selective approaches are unacceptable, and this matter should not hinge on political expediency.
Mr. President,
It is abundantly clear that we would not be discussing today the threats to nuclear and radiological safety and security emerging in the Middle East, were it not for the US-Israeli military misadventure targeting Iran. It is indeed Washington and West Jerusalem that bear responsibility for the current regional escalation. In this context, we cannot but note the earlier threats about the complete destruction of Iran’s energy system, which are giving rise to ever-greater concern given the hawkish rhetoric that has rekindled in recent days.
I wish to stress that putting an end to the escalation and eliminating all its negative repercussions – including those related to nuclear safety and security – is only possible through eradicating the root causes of the conflict. We call upon the parties to abandon the language of threats, stop raising the stakes and immediately revert to the path of a political and diplomatic settlement in order to arrive at a sustainable and long-term solution. The Russian Federation stands ready to provide the necessary assistance in these efforts.
Thank you.
