Full story
IAEA confirms reactor design
A United Nations report seen by The Associated Press says Syria was constructing a nuclear reactor in Deir el-Zour under the leadership of ousted former President Bashar Assad, and it describes the work as including a nuclear reactor under construction, a fuel fabrication plant, and another site used for fuel storage.
“Syria was constructing a nuclear reactor in Deir el-Zour under the leadership of ousted former President Bashar Assad”
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that it is “able to establish that the former Syrian authorities had failed to report nuclear material, facilities and activities as required under the NPT Safeguards Agreement.”
The IAEA said its inspectors visited the Deir el-Zour site on Aug. 29 “to monitor progress on the excavation work,” and it confirmed that the cooling infrastructure uncovered there is consistent with a nuclear reactor.
The report also says the IAEA verified “the presence of around 73 tonnes of natural uranium metal,” and that the material is “currently subject to Agency containment and surveillance measures.”
Damascus cooperation and monitoring
The IAEA said its on-site observations showed that the cooling facility uncovered at the Deir ez-Zor site matches a nuclear reactor design, while also stating that it will continue to monitor the site, which is currently under inspection.
In a joint press conference in Damascus with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Shihabani affirmed his country’s insistence on its right to use nuclear energy for civilian and peaceful purposes, and said the nuclear materials at the “secret” site inside Syria will remain in the custody of the Syrian state and guaranteed by the IAEA.
The IAEA report welcomed Damascus’s transparency and cooperation, saying such transparency helps address longstanding safeguards issues related to Syria’s previous nuclear activities.
Another report described the IAEA’s Tuesday disclosure that “will continue to monitor activities at the site,” as the agency’s inspection and excavation work proceeds.
Iran file contrast and stakes
The Reuters-seen IAEA report described by صوت بيروت إنترناشونال says the agency resolved outstanding issues in its inquiry into past secret nuclear activities in Syria during the Assad family rule, and it said it was able to clarify its inquiries regarding safeguards issues previously reported to the IAEA Board of Governors.
“remains unable to verify the status of Iran’s uranium stocks since the American and Israeli attacks in June 2025”
The same Reuters-linked account said the IAEA “remains unable to verify the status of Iran’s uranium stocks since the American and Israeli attacks in June 2025,” and it added that this inability is a concern for nuclear weapons proliferation given ongoing restrictions on inspectors’ access to Iranian facilities.
The Syria report also states that former Syrian authorities failed to report materials, facilities, and nuclear activities, including a nuclear reactor under construction in Deir ez-Zor and a plant for processing nuclear fuel.
In the Associated Press account, the IAEA says the Deir el-Zour site only became public knowledge after Israel launched airstrikes in 2007 that destroyed the facility, and it adds that Syria later leveled the site and never responded fully to the IAEA’s questions about it.