IAEA says Syria built reactor infrastructure at Deir Az Zor site under al-Assad
The United Nations nuclear watchdog says Syria tried to construct a nuclear reactor in the eastern province of Deir Az Zor under former President Bashar al-Assad. In a confidential report seen by news agencies, the International Atomic Energy Agency said excavation at the site has uncovered cooling infrastructure consistent with a nuclear reactor. The agency said it will continue to monitor the location as excavation work progresses.
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The report says IAEA inspectors visited several sites in Syria in August and carried out verification work. It also says the former Syrian authorities failed to report nuclear material, facilities and activities. According to the agency, samples taken at the site in 2024 contained uranium particles, adding to earlier concerns about the location.
The Deir Az Zor site has long been linked to an undeclared nuclear programme under al-Assad. It became public after air strikes in 2007 destroyed the facility, and Syria later levelled the site. The IAEA says the site included a reactor under construction, a fuel fabrication plant and a storage location for nuclear fuel, uranium scrap and waste.
The findings matter because they add detail to long-running questions about Syria's past nuclear activities and its reporting obligations under international safeguards. The agency's latest report says the former authorities did not fully answer its questions, and that the new Syrian administration has now allowed inspectors access to suspected former nuclear sites. That access gives the IAEA a chance to verify what was built, what material was present and whether any undeclared nuclear work took place.
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The report also places the Deir Az Zor case in the wider context of Syria's post-Assad transition. After al-Assad's removal in early December 2024, the new government agreed to cooperate with the IAEA on inspections and verification. During the latest visit, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and senior inspectors also went to a previously undeclared site that the new authorities disclosed in a July 17 letter.
What remains unclear is the full extent of the programme and whether any other sites were involved. The IAEA has said it will keep monitoring the excavation as it continues, which suggests further findings may emerge. The next developments are likely to depend on continued access for inspectors, additional sampling and any further disclosures by Syrian authorities.
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