UN report says Syria built nuclear reactor under al-Assad regime
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syria was constructing a nuclear reactor in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria under former President Bashar al-Assad, according to a confidential UN report seen by the Associated Press on Tuesday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said inspections conducted at several Syrian sites confirmed that al-Assad regime had failed to declare nuclear material, facilities and activities required under the country’s safeguards agreement.
The findings include a reactor under construction in Deir ez-Zor, a fuel fabrication facility and a site used to store nuclear fuel during al-Assad’s rule.
The Deir ez-Zor facility was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in 2007 after years of international suspicions that Syria was operating an undeclared nuclear program, reportedly with North Korean assistance. Syria later demolished the site and did not fully respond to the IAEA’s questions.
IAEA inspectors visited the site on Aug. 29 to monitor excavation work. The agency said newly uncovered cooling infrastructure was consistent with that of a nuclear reactor.
The IAEA also identified three other locations functionally linked to the Deir ez-Zor facility, including sites associated with fuel fabrication, storage and planned reprocessing activities.
During a separate inspection, the agency also verified a previously undeclared Syrian site containing about 73 tonnes of natural uranium metal in the form of fuel rods with cladding. The material is currently under IAEA containment and surveillance.
The IAEA had previously detected uranium particles at the Deir ez-Zor site after collecting samples in 2024.
Following al-Assad’s ouster, Syria’s new authorities agreed to allow IAEA inspections of suspected nuclear sites. Damascus has also expressed interest in developing a civilian nuclear energy program and said any nuclear material found in Syria would remain under international safeguards.