Overview
- IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told the Board of Governors on Monday that inspectors verified an undeclared reactor at Deir el‑Zor that was almost finished and was configured to produce fissile material usable for nuclear weapons.
- Inspectors also located and verified about 73 tonnes of natural uranium metal at a previously undisclosed site that Syria notified the IAEA about in a July 17 letter.
- The agency has placed the uranium and related facilities under IAEA safeguards and installed surveillance cameras, but Grossi said whether the material stays in Syria or is moved is a decision for Syrian authorities.
- Grossi said he has not been tasked to pursue further investigation of alleged North Korean links; the findings close long‑running IAEA questions that began after a 2007 Israeli strike on the Deir el‑Zor site.
- Natural uranium metal is not directly weapons‑grade but can be chemically processed into plutonium for a bomb, so any removal would require certified containers, technical preparation and robust security and will shape regional non‑proliferation and diplomatic steps.