IAEA finds several tons of nuclear material at Syrian site, agency says
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has said inspectors found several tons of nuclear material at a site in Syria that had not been declared to the agency. The material was identified during a visit linked to an Assad-era legacy site, according to the Syrian foreign minister and the agency chief. The development adds a new layer to long-running questions over Syria's past nuclear activities and the handling of any remaining material.
Sponsored
Rafael Grossi said the material could be put under international safeguards and described Syria's decision to report the site as courageous. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus sent an official letter on 17 July declaring, of its own free will, the presence of nuclear materials at an undeclared site. He said technical assessments indicated the materials did not pose a risk and would remain in Syrian national custody under the agency's safeguards system.
Grossi said Syrian and agency experts will work together to store the material safely. He said the material would be accounted for and placed within the international safeguards system. The agency chief also said the visit was part of a broader effort to address the legacy of the former government, while stressing that turning a page did not mean forgetting the past.
The finding matters because even a limited quantity of nuclear material can raise safeguards and security concerns if it is not properly accounted for. Grossi said the material could be put to bad use, underlining why the agency seeks to verify, secure and monitor such stockpiles. For Syria, the disclosure is significant because it suggests cooperation with international inspectors on a sensitive issue tied to the country's previous nuclear file.
Sponsored
Grossi also visited a site in Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria that has been shut for 18 years and which the agency had long suspected contained a nuclear reactor. He said excavation and exploration were under way there and said the work validated the agency's longstanding assessment that a nuclear facility had been built in secrecy. The agency said last year that uranium particles were found at the site during an inspection in 2024.
The Deir Ezzor location has remained a focal point in the wider debate over Syria's past nuclear programme. Grossi's visit came after reports that the agency and the United States had reached understandings with Syria and Israel over the removal of nuclear material from a clandestine site. What remains unclear is how much material is involved, how quickly it can be secured, and whether further inspections will identify additional undeclared stockpiles or sites.
Sponsored
