No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which caused no radiological release nor injuries, authorities in Abu Dhabi said.
However, suspicion immediately fell on Iran, which has been increasingly threatening the UAE over recent days as the country hosted Israeli Iron Dome missile defences and troops during the war.
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The 20 billion dollar Barakah nuclear power plant was built by the UAE with the help of South Korea and went online in 2020.
It is the first and only nuclear power plant on the Arabian Peninsula and can provide a quarter of all the energy needs in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms. It is also the first commercial nuclear power plant in the Arab world.
The UAE’s nuclear regulator said the fire did not impact the plant’s safety, writing on X that: “All units are operating as normal”. The UAE statement did not blame any party for the attack.
The plant sits in the far western deserts of Abu Dhabi, near the border with Saudi Arabia. Sunday’s strike marked the first time the four-reactor site has been targeted in the Iran war.
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In 2009, the UAE signed a strict deal with the US over the power plant, known as a “123 agreement”, in which it agreed to give up domestic uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent fuel to halt any proliferation fears. Its uranium comes from abroad.
During the Iran war, Tehran repeatedly claimed its Bushehr nuclear power plant came under attack, though there was no direct damage to its Russian-run reactor nor any radiological release.
There have been several instances of attacks around the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf countries over the past several weeks.
Talks between Iran and the US are at a standstill as the shaky ceasefire threatens to collapse and tip the Middle East back into open warfare, prolonging the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict.