IAEA says Syria built a nuclear reactor in Deir Az Zor under al-Assad

UN watchdog says Syria ‘failed to report nuclear material, facilities and activities’ under Bashar al-Assad’s rule.The United Nations nuclear watchdog has confirmed that Syria tried to construct a nuclear reactor in the eastern province of Deir Az Zor under ousted former President Bashar al-Assad.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in a confidential report seen by news agencies on Tuesday, said it visited several sites in Syria in August and carried out verification work.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4What’s behind the SDF’s deal with Damascus?list 2 of 4Syria’s president makes first Visa payment after sanctions removallist 3 of 4‘Opening a new chapter’: Syria reopens embassy in Libya after talkslist 4 of 4Syria is choosing diplomacy with Israel, but can its approach last?end of listBased on observations at the Deir Az Zor site, the agency said it confirms “that the cooling infrastructure which has now been uncovered is consistent with that of a nuclear reactor”. The agency said it would continue to monitor the activities at the site “as the excavation work progresses”.Syria was believed to have operated an extensive undeclared nuclear programme under al-Assad that included a nuclear reactor built by North Korea in Deir Az Zor.The site only became public knowledge after Israel launched air strikes in 2007 that destroyed the facility. Syria later levelled the site and never responded fully to the IAEA’s questions about it.Israel is believed to have its own undeclared atomic weapons programme that makes it the only country in the Middle East with nuclear bombs. Israel neither confirms nor denies having atomic weapons.Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani speaks during a joint news conference with Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in the former presidential Tishreen Palace in Damascus, Syria, August 18 [Mohamed Al Rifai/EPA]Following al-Assad’s removal in early December 2024, the new government agreed to give IAEA inspectors access to suspected former nuclear sites.