A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that the Syrian government previously had not declared some materials, facilities and nuclear activities under international obligations, including the reactor being built in the city of Deir el-Zour.
IAEA inspectors arrived in Syria in August to inspect many locations suspected of being related to the nuclear program under former President Bashar al-Assad.
The verification results allow the IAEA to conclude that the previous Syrian government did not fully declare materials, facilities and nuclear activities under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The items discovered include a reactor under construction in Deir el-Zour, a fuel production facility and a number of locations related to material storage and nuclear activities.
The IAEA said inspectors arrived in Deir el-Zour city on August 29 to monitor excavation activities in this area. The cooling infrastructure that has just been revealed has characteristics suitable for a nuclear reactor.
Three other locations were also identified to be directly related to the facility in Deir el-Zour. One location is used for conversion or fuel production, while the other two serve temporary storage of construction materials being transferred to or from the construction site. One of them is also planned for reprocessing operations.
The IAEA took samples at a location in 2024 and then confirmed that the collected samples contained uranium. After the Assad regime was overthrown, new officials in Syria agreed to allow international inspectors to access nuclear facilities that were previously suspected.
During a working trip to Syria, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and a group of senior inspectors also went to an undeclared location. The Syrian government informed the IAEA about the existence of this location in a letter dated July 17, and requested the international agency to coordinate in inspecting and verifying the nuclear materials that could be found.
The IAEA determined that there is natural uranium in the form of fuel rods wrapped on the outside, with a total weight of about 73 tons. All of this nuclear material is currently placed under agency control and supervision measures.
The new government in Syria also expressed its desire to develop a civilian nuclear energy program, and affirmed that all nuclear materials discovered in this country will continue to be under Syria's management under international supervision.
