IAEA Confirms Undeclared Nuclear Facilities in Syria

A confidential report by a United Nations agency reveals that after IAEA inspectors visited multiple locations in Syria in August this year, they confirmed that the former Syrian authorities had failed to declare relevant nuclear materials, nuclear facilities, and nuclear activities as required by the safeguards agreement under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

The report states that the information includes a nuclear reactor that was under construction in Deir ez-Zor, a fuel fabrication facility, and another site used for fuel storage during the former government era. For a long time, there has been external suspicion that Syria had secretly pursued a nuclear program, with a facility in Deir ez-Zor province believed to be a nuclear reactor built with assistance from North Korea. The facility only drew public attention after being destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in 2007, and was subsequently razed by the Syrian side.

The IAEA had previously collected samples at the Deir ez-Zor site in 2024 and reported last year that uranium particles were found in the samples. The new Syrian authorities agreed to allow the agency to conduct inspections at suspected former nuclear facilities and expressed interest in developing a civilian nuclear energy program; any nuclear materials found in Syrian territory would be kept under Syrian custody under international safeguards.

In the report, the IAEA stated that inspectors visited the Deir ez-Zor site on August 29 to monitor the progress of excavation work. Based on on-site observations, the agency confirmed that the cooling infrastructure discovered so far is consistent with the characteristics of a nuclear reactor cooling system.

The report also noted that three locations have a "functional link" to the Deir ez-Zor nuclear facility. One involves "conversion and/or fuel fabrication activities," one was used for "temporary storage of construction materials," and another was used for the temporary storage of construction materials entering and leaving the facility, and is associated with "planned reprocessing activities."

During the visit, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and a team of senior inspectors also traveled to a previously undeclared site in Syria. The Syrian side had notified the agency of the site's existence in a letter dated July 17 and invited the agency to cooperate with the Syrian side in conducting inspections and verification of the site and any nuclear materials that might be found there.

The IAEA stated that the newly discovered site contains natural uranium metal in the form of fuel rods and cladding. Upon verification, the site holds approximately 73 tons of natural uranium metal. At present, all relevant nuclear materials are under the strict control and monitoring of the IAEA.