Russia Holds US, Israel Accountable for UAE Drone Strike

(MENAFN) A sharply divided UN Security Council convened an emergency session Tuesday over a reported drone strike near the United Arab Emirates' Barakah nuclear power plant, with Russia pointing the finger squarely at Washington and Tel Aviv while the US leveled accusations at Iran for what it called a reckless act of nuclear brinkmanship.

Russian UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia opened with a categorical condemnation of strikes on civilian nuclear infrastructure — then pivoted to assign blame upstream.

"Russia's position on nuclear safety and security is principled and consistent in nature. Attacks targeting new peaceful nuclear facilities in any country of the world, all the more so those that are under IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards, are categorically unacceptable," Nebenzia said.

Moscow reaffirmed its support for "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region, barring none, including the UAE," he added.

Nebenzia argued Tuesday's emergency session would never have been necessary were it not for prior Western military action, referencing what he described as US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan in June 2025.

"It is absolutely clear that today we would not have had to discuss the threats of nuclear safety and security and radiological security, which are emerging in the Middle East, had it not been for the US and Israel's military misadventure targeting Iran," he said.

"It is indeed Washington and West Jerusalem who bear responsibility for the current regional escalation," Nebenzia added.

The Russian envoy also flagged mounting alarm over threats concerning "the complete destruction of the Iranian energy system" amid what he characterized as "hawkish rhetorics" in recent days, urging immediate de-escalation.

"We call upon the parties to abandon the language of threats and the raising of stakes, and to immediately revert to the path of political diplomatic settlement in order to arrive at a lasting and long-term resolution," he said.

Washington Fires Back: Iran 'Weaponizing' a Nuclear Plant
US envoy Mike Waltz took a starkly different line, condemning Iran in "the strongest possible terms" for what he said was a drone attack originating from Iraqi territory — one that he warned came perilously close to triggering an irreversible catastrophe.

"This very well could have been an attack where we are discussing the meltdown of a nuclear reactor and the untold and unprecedented humanitarian and environmental crisis that would have caused," Waltz said.

Waltz questioned whether Tehran was now attempting "to weaponize a nuclear power plant" having been stripped of its own nuclear weapons program.

"The greatest irony here is that as the Iranians recklessly sought to produce nuclear weapons, the US took action to stop it, and now out of sheer desperation and true recklessness, they're now weaponizing the peaceful nuclear power of a neighbor," he said.

UAE officials confirmed Sunday that a fire broke out near the Barakah facility following a drone strike traced back to Iraqi territory.

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