Damascus, Syria – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that its inspectors had detected traces of undeclared uranium at a former Syrian military site in Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria.
According to a confidential report seen by Reuters, the findings were made during the agency’s ongoing investigation into a facility destroyed by Israel in 2007, which the IAEA has long suspected to have been a covert nuclear reactor.
The report stated that while Syria’s former regime claimed the Deir ez-Zor site was a conventional military base, IAEA experts concluded in 2011 that it was “very likely” a nuclear reactor that should have been declared to the agency.
In a renewed effort last year, inspectors collected environmental samples from three undisclosed sites allegedly linked to the Deir ez-Zor facility. Analysis revealed a “”a significant number of natural uranium particles in samples taken at one of the three locations”, pointing to uranium produced through chemical processing.
Syria’s current authorities told the agency they had no explanation for the uranium traces but have since granted further access to the site. In June, inspectors revisited the location to collect additional samples.
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The IAEA report also noted a June meeting between Director General Rafael Grossi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, during which Damascus agreed to “full transparency” in addressing past nuclear activities. Grossi requested Syrian cooperation in returning to Deir ez-Zor in the coming months to conduct further analysis, access relevant documents, and interview individuals involved in the country’s previous nuclear efforts.
In parallel, Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani reiterated in March that Damascus is committed to working with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to dismantle the chemical weapons program left behind by the ousted Assad regime. He stressed that Syria is seeking to “close this painful chapter, ensure justice for the victims, and build a new Syria based on transparency and international law.”
