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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 The drones that targeted the United Arab Emirates\u2019 Barakah nuclear power plant<\/a><\/span> all came from Iraq, the country\u2019s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday, an indication that Iraqi Shiite militias backed by Iran were likely behind the assault. <\/p>\n No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but Tehran and its militia proxies have launched drone attacks targeting Gulf Arab states since Israel and the United States began their war against Iran<\/a><\/span> on Feb. 28. In the past, the militias have provided Iran with a way to deflect blame over such attacks. <\/p>\n There were no reported injuries or radioactive leaks at Barakah after the attack, which Emirati officials said hit a generator on the facility\u2019s perimeter. <\/p>\n But at an emergency U.N. Security Council session Tuesday, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog described his agency\u2019s \u201cgrave concerns\u201d about the growing trend of targeting operating nuclear plants in the Iran war.<\/p>\n \u201cIn case of an attack on the Barakah nuclear power plant, a direct hit, could result in a very high rate of radioactivity to the environment,\u201d said Rafael Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency chief.<\/p>\n The UAE, which has hosted air defenses and personnel from Israel<\/a><\/span>, recently accused Iran of launching drone and missile attacks even after its ceasefire<\/a><\/span> with the U.S. began April 8.<\/p>\n U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he\u2019s willing to give Iran a few days to make progress in peace negotiations before the U.S. resumes military strikes. <\/p>\n Later in the day, the Senate advanced a bill aiming to force Trump<\/a><\/span> to seek congressional approval or withdraw from the war, though it was not clear whether the legislation could gain final passage.<\/p>\n On Monday, Trump had said he was \u201can hour away from making the decision\u201d to launch a new round of strikes and end the fragile ceasefire before he called off the attack<\/a><\/span>. He has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran<\/a><\/span> and then backed off.<\/p>\n Tensions have risen over the Strait of Hormuz<\/a><\/span>, a vital energy waterway gripped by Iran<\/a><\/span> while its ports remain under a U.S. naval blockade. A maritime data firm reported Tuesday that ship traffic through the strait more than doubled last week, but still remains a fraction of its prewar levels. <\/p>\n On Tuesday, the U.S. military\u2019s Central Command said the blockade has stopped 89 commercial vessels since it started in mid-April.<\/p>\n Trump didn\u2019t set a firm deadline for Iran on Tuesday, at first saying he was giving Tehran \u201ctwo or three days.\u201d He then said Iran could have until \u201cmaybe early next week.\u201d<\/p>\n He also said \u201cserious negotiations\u201d were underway to end the war. Key sticking points include U.S. insistence that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also broad disagreement over Iran\u2019s nuclear program. Trump has said he wants to remove highly enriched uranium from Iran and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance said that a failure to stop Iran\u2019s nuclear ambitions would lead to other countries pursuing atomic weapons.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have every country in the world scrambling to try to get a nuclear weapon, it would make us all much less safe,\u201d Vance said. \u201cAnd Iran would really be the first domino.\u201d<\/p>\n In the Cold War era, U.S. policymakers argued that if a country went communist it could cause neighboring nations to fall like dominoes, too, and the \u201cdomino theory\u201d led to efforts, including military interventions, to contain the spread of communism.<\/p>\n In Iraq, government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi, without mentioning the Emirati accusations, said that Baghdad \u201cexpresses its strong condemnation of the recent drone attacks targeting the UAE.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe also emphasize the importance of effective regional and international cooperation to prevent any escalation or harm to the stability of the region, or any targeting of the security and sovereignty of sisterly and friendly nations,\u201d al-Awadi added.<\/p>\n There were three other drones that targeted the country over the last two days, the UAE added, without elaborating on their targets. Saudi Arabia, which had also condemned the nuclear plant attack, later said it had intercepted three drones that had entered the kingdom from Iraqi airspace.<\/p>\n The $20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant was built by the UAE with the help of South Korea and went online in 2020. It is the only nuclear power plant in the Arab world and can provide a quarter of the energy needs in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms.<\/p>\n Earlier Tuesday, a prominent Emirati diplomat elliptically criticized regional countries over the attacks his country has faced.<\/p>\n \u201cThe confusion of roles during this treacherous Iranian aggression is baffling, encompassing the Gulf Arab region\u2019s surrounding states,\u201d Anwer Gargash wrote on X. \u201cThe victim\u2019s role has merged with that of the mediator, and vice versa, while the friend has turned into a mediator instead of being a steadfast ally and supporter.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the Lloyd\u2019s List Intelligence maritime data firm, a total of 54 ships transited the strait the week of May 11, more than double the 25 vessels counted the week before. <\/p>\n Traffic through the strait remains a trickle compared to before the war, when 130 or more vessels passed it each day.<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s traffic included 10 China-owned ships after Tehran said it would permit some Chinese vessels to transit, Lloyd\u2019s said Tuesday on X. Two were carrying cooking gas headed for India.<\/p>\n Iran has imposed a murky vetting scheme for vessels trying to leave the Persian Gulf, which in some cases has included demanding payment and excludes US and Israeli vessels. <\/p>\n Iran depends on China as the sole remaining major customer for its heavily sanctioned oil. India is suffering a politically sensitive shortage of cooking gas supplies and has secured passage for some of its ships through diplomatic intervention with Iran.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri in New York; Joshua Boak in Washington; David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany; Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, and Giovanna Dell\u2019Orto in Minneapolis contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nTrump refrains from setting firm deadline for Iran negotiations<\/h2>\n
Iraqi government condemns strikes on UAE<\/h2>\n
Maritime firm says ship traffic increased last week through the Strait of Hormuz<\/h2>\n