Saber Ghanem Ibrahim Eid
21 May 2026•Update: 21 May 2026
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi directed Wednesday that necessary measures be taken against those involved if it is proven that Iraqi territory was used as a launching pad for attacks against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The directive came during his chairmanship of the first meeting of the Iraqi National Security Council, according to Sabah al-Numan, a spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the Iraqi News Agency reported.
The statement came hours after the UAE’s Foreign Ministry called on Iraq to "urgently and unconditionally" prevent "all hostile acts" originating from its territory.
Al-Zaidi affirmed the government's rejection of the use of Iraqi territory or airspace for attacks against Arab states and regional countries, stressing that it will act decisively on this matter, according to al-Numan.
The National Security Council meeting reiterated its condemnation of the recent attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
"The meeting addressed the ongoing investigations into the attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and the UAE. A special committee was formed to engage with relevant authorities in both countries," said Al-Numan.
"The government will not tolerate any individual or group that seeks to threaten the security of Iraq or its brothers and the countries of the region and is committed to taking the necessary measures to protect the country's stability and preserve its sovereignty," he added.
Earlier Wednesday, the UAE’s Foreign Ministry said it "condemns in the strongest terms the treacherous terrorist attacks carried out by drones launched from Iraqi territory."
It added that one of the drones targeted the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, striking a generator outside the plant's perimeter.
The ministry expressed the UAE's "strongest condemnation and absolute rejection of the heinous terrorist attacks launched from Iraqi territory targeting vital civilian infrastructure in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries."
On Sunday, the Abu Dhabi Media Office announced that authorities had responded to a fire that broke out in a generator outside the perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant.
On the same day, the Saudi Defense Ministry announced that it had intercepted and destroyed three drones that had entered Saudi airspace from Iraqi airspace. Iraq condemned the attack in an official statement.
Regional tensions have remained high since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran against Israel and US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce indefinitely while maintaining a blockade on vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz.
*Writing by Serdar Dincel
