Damascus, Syria — Syria plans to allow international nuclear inspectors access to several sites suspected of past undeclared nuclear activity, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Thursday, following high-level meetings in Damascus.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told the Associated Press that Syria had agreed in principle to the inspections, which are intended to clarify activities believed to be linked to potential nuclear weapons development more than a decade ago.
Speaking from Damascus, Grossi said his meetings with transitional president Ahmed Al-Shara and Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani were positive and that the new government is “committed to opening up to the world, to international cooperation”.
He confirmed that IAEA inspectors intend to revisit the Dair ez-Zor site in eastern Syria, destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in 2007, along with three additional locations suspected of being linked to a past clandestine nuclear program.
Grossi noted that while there are no signs of recent radiation emissions, the agency remains concerned about the potential existence or trafficking of enriched uranium.
Read also: Muscat Negotiations: A Final Opportunity for Iran’s Nuclear Deal Or Prelude to Regional War?
In a meeting with Al-Shara, Grossi also discussed Syria’s interest in developing peaceful nuclear energy, including small modular reactors for civilian use. “the president has expressed to me he’s interested in exploring, in the future, nuclear energy as well,” Grossi said.
Grossi also announced in a statement posted on social media platform X, that the IAEAorg are launching a comprehensive program “to support Syria with medical equipment and training for hospitals, as well as help in agriculture and water management. We will also begin exploring the possibility of nuclear power in Syria.”
The visit marks the IAEA’s highest-level engagement in Syria in years, as the country seeks to reintegrate into the international system following over a decade of conflict and isolation.
