Syria opens Assad-era nuclear programme to UN probe

Syria has allowed the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to investigate the remnants of a nuclear program from the former Assad regime. The Syrian government reported a site to the IAEA last month, and inspectors have since found several tonnes of nuclear material at a location in Damascus and another site in Deir ez-Zur. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stated the material is not dangerous and will remain under Syrian custody with international guarantees. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi described Syria's decision to report the undisclosed site as courageous, emphasizing that the material will be placed under international safeguards. This cooperation follows Syria's commitment to address past nuclear activities since the fall of the Assad regime.

UN nuclear watchdog inspectors have begun excavating at a site in eastern Deir el-Zour province believed to be linked to Syria's former clandestine nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency's director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, announced the excavation and the discovery of another site with nuclear material. Syria's new government has pledged full cooperation with the IAEA, expressing interest in developing a peaceful nuclear program and committing to keeping any nuclear material under international safeguards. This cooperation is considered significant as a few tons of nuclear material were previously unaccounted for. The Deir el-Zour site became known after Israeli airstrikes in 2007 destroyed a facility there, and recent IAEA investigations have found traces of uranium.