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Excavation begins in Deir ez-Zor
The UN nuclear watchdog began excavating at a site believed linked to Syria’s clandestine nuclear program run by the former government, as Syria’s new government pledged to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“Myself and my team, we were inside the site of Deir el-Zour, where very comprehensive work of excavation and exploration is taking place now”
IAEA director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi said, “Myself and my team, we were inside the site of Deir el-Zour, where very comprehensive work of excavation and exploration is taking place now,” during a news conference in Damascus.
Grossi said another site with nuclear material had also been discovered, and he described the material as “a few tons of nuclear material that could be put to bad use,” adding that Syria decided to open the site to IAEA inspectors.
Syria’s foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani said, “Syria confirms, based on technical evaluations, that this material does not pose any danger,” and that it would remain in Syria’s custody under the agency’s safeguard system.
The Reuters report tied the Deir el-Zour site’s public emergence to Israel’s 2007 airstrikes that destroyed the facility, after which Syria later leveled the site and never responded fully to IAEA questions.
Syria keeps material under safeguards
At a joint press conference in Damascus, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani told the IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi that nuclear material found at a secret site would remain in Syria for “peaceful purposes,” reversing an earlier announcement that it was expected to be removed under IAEA arrangements.
Al-Shaibani said, “Syria has the right to use the material for civilian purposes,” and he also said, “Cooperation between Syria and the IAEA has reached advanced stages.”
In parallel, Grossi said the IAEA had begun deeper cooperation with Syria’s new government after gaining access to a secret Deir ez-Zor site, and he described the meeting as an important day for security, peace and international non-proliferation efforts.
Kurdistan24 reported Grossi saying the IAEA had been working with Syria’s new government for 18 months and that Damascus opened a secret site in Deir ez-Zor dating from the previous regime.
The France 24 account described Grossi praising Syria’s “brave” decision to inform the IAEA of the existence of the site where nuclear materials were stored, and it said the IAEA team completed its site visit on Tuesday morning and collected samples.
Next steps and what’s at risk
Syria and the IAEA said they agreed on specific steps to address “outstanding safeguards” issues arising from activities conducted during the era of the former regime, with the foreign ministry saying the Director General’s visit on August 17 and 18 was a significant advance.
“the two sides consider the steps agreed upon during the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi’s visit to Syria on August 17 and 18”
The SANA account said that after completion of inspection and verification activities, Grossi would report findings and conclusions to the Board of Governors at the earliest possible opportunity, so the Board could consider the matter at its next session, “up to a full settlement of the remaining issues.”
Grossi framed the cooperation as a shift toward preventing nuclear proliferation, saying, “Now we turn the page of the past and begin a new page in nuclear engagement,” and he said the next steps would involve further cooperation and support from the IAEA for Syria.
The France 24 report said Grossi described the discovery as important “since we are talking about several tons of nuclear materials that could be misused,” and it reported that the site was not disclosed to the IAEA.
In the same period, the Reuters report said Syria’s top diplomat reaffirmed that Damascus remains interested in developing a peaceful nuclear program and intends to keep any nuclear material in its custody under international safeguards.
