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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Syrian government and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday announced a "significant advance" in efforts to resolve longstanding safeguards issues linked to undeclared nuclear activities under the former regime, following a two-day visit to the country by the head of the UN nuclear agency.
Following IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi’s visit to Syria, the two sides released a statement marking the visit as “the most significant advance to date in the cooperation between Syria and the Agency towards resolving the outstanding safeguards issues arising from undeclared activities related to the former regime.”
The visit comes after Damascus formally notified the IAEA on July 17 of the discovery of tons of uranium material stored at an undeclared site outside the capital.
The disclosure marks an initial step by Syria’s new government to address the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime’s secretive nuclear program, resolve outstanding international safeguards issues and bring the materials under IAEA monitoring.
In a post on X, Grossi wrote that the agency "confirmed the presence of several tons of natural uranium metal" at an undeclared location outside Damascus and "observed ongoing excavation activities" at the Deir ez-Zor site, including a separate facility storing large quantities of graphite linked to past activities.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani affirmed that Syria exercises "sovereign responsibility over all nuclear material on its territory," according to the joint statement, stating that the material remains in national custody.
During their meeting, the two sides agreed on concrete steps to bring the identified materials under formal IAEA safeguards.
Syria’s transitional authorities took power after the Assad regime collapsed in December 2024. Bashar al-Assad, who became president in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, ruled for nearly 25 years before opposition forces seized Damascus in December 2024, ending more than five decades of Assad family rule.
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