Syria reveals secret nuclear legacy of the ousted regime... IAEA collects samples
- Al-Shibani: The materials will remain in the custody of the Syrian state, and we will work on treating and storing them safely.
- Grossi: We have found tons of nuclear materials that could be misused... Syria begins a new page in nuclear cooperation.
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Among the sensitive files left behind by the ousted Syrian regime is a nuclear legacy that remained out of the spotlight for years, after Damascus announced the discovery of nuclear materials at an undeclared site. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has since begun verification processes, sample collection, and inventorying of the quantities present.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani affirmed on Tuesday Syria’s right to use nuclear energy for peaceful and civilian purposes. He stressed that the nuclear materials located in the country at a “secret” site will remain under the custody of the Syrian state, in accordance with IAEA safeguards.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Damascus with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Al-Shibani stated that Syria would work to create the necessary conditions to treat and safely store these materials in coordination with the IAEA.
He explained that Damascus sent an official letter to the Agency on July 17, declaring of its own free will the existence of nuclear materials at an undeclared site as part of the legacy left by the former regime.
Al-Shibani added that Syria invited the Agency to verify the site, noting that Grossi and the Agency team completed their visit to the site and collected the necessary samples earlier that morning.
For his part, Grossi said the Agency had found large quantities of nuclear materials, amounting to tons, which could be misused. He pointed out that the current work requires extensive scrutiny to inventory all nuclear materials present in Syria.
He clarified that Syria voluntarily informed the Agency in July of the existence of these materials and allowed inspectors access to them, considering that Syria’s openness had enabled the Agency to operate with a greater degree of transparency.
Grossi described his visit to Damascus as an “important milestone in non-proliferation efforts,” affirming that the Agency is working to restore Syria as a state fully compliant with its legal obligations regarding the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
He added that “Syria is turning the page on the past and beginning a new page in nuclear cooperation.”
Earlier this month, US and Israeli officials revealed that the administration of US President Donald Trump had reached secret understandings with the Syrian government and Israel paving the way for the removal of nuclear materials stored at a secret site within Syria, in a process overseen by the IAEA, according to Axios.
The background of the file dates back to the secret nuclear program developed by the former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which centered on the secret Al-Kibar reactor. Israel has been monitoring a site known as “Site 99” for about two years.
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According to Israeli officials, the Assad regime stored nuclear materials at the site that were part of the Al-Kibar reactor project. A US official stated that the materials included “yellowcake,” a powder resulting from the processing of uranium ore, which can later be subjected to further processing stages within the nuclear fuel cycle.
The official added that the former regime also stored residues and leftover materials from the Al-Kibar facility at the site, clarifying that these materials cannot be used to make a nuclear weapon but could potentially be used in a “dirty bomb”—a conventional device designed to spread radioactive material and contaminate a specific area without causing a nuclear explosion.
