The U.N. nuclear watchdog has found traces of processed uranium at a site in Syria that it has long believed housed a secret nuclear reactor, which was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in 2007. In a confidential report to member states, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) detailed that environmental samples taken from a location “functionally related” to the Deir al-Zor site contained a significant number of natural uranium particles of “anthropogenic origin,” meaning they were produced through chemical processing.
The finding is a significant development in an investigation that began over 16 years ago. The IAEA concluded back in 2011 that the destroyed building was “very likely” a clandestine nuclear reactor that the Syrian government, then led by Bashar al-Assad, should have declared. Damascus has consistently denied this, maintaining that the site was a conventional military base.
The current Syrian authorities, now led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, have stated they have no information to explain the presence of the uranium particles. However, in a shift towards cooperation, the Islamist-led government granted the IAEA access to the site in June to take more environmental samples. During a meeting the same month, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi secured an agreement from Syria to cooperate with the agency “through full transparency” to address its past nuclear activities.
The report states that the IAEA is planning a return visit to the Deir al-Zor site itself in the coming months to conduct further analysis, access relevant documentation, and interview those involved. The agency will evaluate all evidence, including the latest samples, with the goal of finally clarifying the outstanding safeguards issues and bringing the long-running investigation to a definitive close.
