The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released a detailed target list naming critical civilian infrastructure across the Gulf, including UAE's Barakah Nuclear Power Plant and Taweelah Desalination Plant, warning that any US strike on Iran's energy sector will trigger retaliatory attacks on regional facilities.
The unprecedented threat, circulated on social media and corroborated by regional security analysts, includes satellite imagery of named facilities across six Gulf states. Beyond the UAE, the list targets Saudi Arabia's Ras Al-Khair Desalination Plant, Qatar's Ras Laffan power facilities, Bahrain's Al Dur plant, Kuwait's North Zour facility, and Jordan's thermal plants.
The explicit naming of Barakah, the Arab world's first commercial nuclear power plant, represents a significant escalation in Iran's rhetoric. The four-reactor facility generates approximately 25% of UAE's electricity and stands as a centerpiece of the Emirates' energy diversification strategy beyond hydrocarbons.
Taweelah, one of the world's largest desalination plants, supplies drinking water to millions of residents across Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In a desert nation where 42% of freshwater comes from desalination, targeting such infrastructure would constitute an attack on basic civilian survival rather than military capability.
The threats come amid broader regional tensions following military operations against positions. has positioned the operations as responses to aggression, though a this week cast doubt on evidence linking to the incident that triggered the current escalation.
