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Syria Assad-Era Reactor Was Built for Nuclear Weapons: IAEA — AI-generated representative image: IAEA inspectors examine a partially excavated reactor site, illustrating the reported nuclear facility at Deir Az Zor.

Editorial Team

UN watchdog confirms Deir Az Zor facility had fissile material production capabilities as Grossi places the site under safeguards.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported that a nuclear facility from Syria's Assad era was configured to produce material suitable for nuclear weapons. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi made the announcement at a media conference in Vienna on Monday, describing the Deir Az Zor reactor as highly efficient in producing fissile material.

"This is a reactor that is very efficient in the production of fissile material that could be used directly for the fabrication of nuclear weapons," Grossi said.

The findings mark a significant development in the IAEA's long-running investigation into Syria's undeclared nuclear programme, which is now proceeding with the cooperation of Syria's new authorities. For the first time, inspectors have confirmed on-site evidence consistent with a nuclear reactor, and the previously hidden material is now under international safeguards.

Inspection Findings and Safeguards

Grossi's comments followed a confidential IAEA report released a week earlier, which detailed visits to several sites in Syria during August. Based on observations at the Deir Az Zor site, the agency confirmed that "the cooling infrastructure which has now been uncovered is consistent with that of a nuclear reactor."

During the August visit, inspectors had to "tear down walls" and navigate "very difficult and narrow passages" to reach the hidden nuclear material, Grossi said. He described the site as having "boxes scattered all over the place," and confirmed that inspectors had installed cameras there.

"The important thing is that this material now is under safeguards" of the IAEA, Grossi said.

History of the Undeclared Programme

Syria is believed to have operated an extensive, undeclared nuclear programme under former President Bashar al-Assad, including a nuclear reactor built by North Korea in Deir Az Zor. The facility only became public knowledge after Israeli air strikes destroyed it in 2007. Syria later levelled the site and never responded fully to the IAEA's questions about it.

The IAEA has stated that the former Syrian authorities failed to report nuclear material, facilities and activities. Besides the Deir Az Zor reactor, the agency listed a fuel fabrication plant where nuclear fuel for the reactor was manufactured, as well as a storage facility for nuclear fuel, uranium scrap and waste.

Israel is widely believed to possess its own undeclared atomic weapons programme, making it the only nuclear-armed country in the Middle East. Israel neither confirms nor denies having nuclear weapons.

New Cooperation and Additional Sites

During the visit to Syria last month, an IAEA team also inspected a previously undeclared site. The Syrian administration, made up of the group that overthrew Assad in 2024, notified the agency of the site's existence in July and invited nuclear inspectors to investigate.

The agency said it would continue to monitor activities at the Deir Az Zor site "as the excavation work progresses." The verification work carried out in August represents a notable shift from the years of non-cooperation under the previous government.

Ongoing Monitoring

The IAEA has confirmed that the nuclear material at Deir Az Zor is now under safeguards, with cameras installed to monitor the site. Inspectors will continue to observe the facility as excavation work advances, and further verification findings are expected as the agency completes its assessment of the newly declared site.