Pakistan condemns drone attack on UAE nuclear plant

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly condemned a drone attack on the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates on May 17, saying the targeting of nuclear facilities constitutes a grave violation of international law, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

In a statement shared on social media platform X, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Islamabad stood in “full solidarity with the brotherly people and government of the UAE.”

It said any deliberate attack on nuclear installations violated international law, including international humanitarian law, the United Nations Charter, and principles of nuclear safety and security under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Nuclear installations must never be targeted under any circumstances,” the statement said, warning that such actions could have “potentially catastrophic and irreversible consequences” for human life, the environment, and regional and global security.

Pakistan said the inviolability of civilian nuclear infrastructure was a “well-established international norm” that must be upheld without exception.

The foreign ministry called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, comply with international law, and avoid actions that could further escalate tensions.

It said dialogue and diplomacy, in line with the United Nations Charter, remained the only viable path toward lasting peace and de-escalation in the region.