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

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Syria attempted to construct a nuclear reactor in Deir Az Zor under the rule of former President Bashar al-Assad. In a confidential report, the UN watchdog stated that Syria failed to report nuclear material, facilities, and activities. IAEA inspectors visited the Deir Az Zor site in August and observed cooling infrastructure consistent with a nuclear reactor. This undeclared program, believed to have been built with North Korean assistance, was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in 2007. Following al-Assad's removal in December 2024, the new Syrian government granted the IAEA access to suspected former nuclear sites. The IAEA will continue to monitor the Deir Az Zor site as excavation work progresses.

A confidential UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report reveals that former Syrian authorities under Bashar al-Assad failed to declare nuclear material, facilities, and activities as required by the NPT Safeguards Agreement. During a visit in August, IAEA inspectors confirmed the existence of a nuclear reactor under construction in Deir el-Zour, along with a fuel fabrication plant and a fuel storage site. This undeclared program is believed to have included a reactor built by North Korea, which was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in 2007. Syria later leveled the site and did not fully answer IAEA inquiries. Uranium particles were detected at the Deir el-Zour site in samples taken in 2024.

A confidential UN nuclear watchdog report reveals that former Syrian authorities under President Bashar Assad failed to declare nuclear material, facilities, and activities. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited several sites in Syria in August, confirming that cooling infrastructure uncovered at the Deir el-Zour site is consistent with a nuclear reactor under construction. The report also details a fuel fabrication plant and a fuel storage location functionally related to the Deir el-Zour site. Additionally, inspectors verified approximately 73 tonnes of natural uranium metal in the form of fuel rods at a previously undeclared site. Syria had previously failed to fully respond to IAEA questions about the Deir el-Zour facility, which was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in 2007.