The statement, delivered at an emergency session of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors in Vienna, was presented by the UAE's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability on behalf of the signatory states — a list spanning every inhabited continent and including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Australia and dozens of other nations.

The attack took place on 17 May, when armed factions in Iraq launched drones that struck electrical infrastructure just outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah plant in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra region. Radiation levels at the plant remained normal, and no injuries were reported, though the incident forced operators to switch temporarily to emergency diesel generators before mains power was restored.

The joint statement demanded the immediate and permanent halt to all attacks against the UAE, including any targeting of nuclear facilities used solely for peaceful purposes. It called on states to ensure their territory is not used as a launchpad by non-state actors to strike other countries and reaffirmed the UAE's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The signatories praised the UAE authorities for informing the IAEA promptly and transparently about the attack, its consequences and the steps taken to contain any risk. They also welcomed ongoing coordination between the agency and the UAE's Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, known as FANR, which oversees the plant's operation in line with international safety standards.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who visited Barakah and saw the damage at first hand, has previously described attacks near nuclear facilities as unacceptable and called for maximum military restraint around any operating plant.

The statement closed with a call for stronger international cooperation to protect peaceful nuclear infrastructure, including improved physical security, emergency preparedness and resilience measures.

Barakah is the Arab world's first commercial nuclear power station and a central part of the UAE's strategy to diversify its energy mix away from hydrocarbons.