Overview
- The IAEA verified about 73 tonnes of natural uranium metal, including roughly 55 tonnes in clad fuel rods, and says the material is now under Agency containment and surveillance following on-site checks in August 2026.
- Inspectors reported that cooling infrastructure uncovered at the Deir el-Zour (Al-Kibar) site is consistent with a gas-cooled, graphite-moderated reactor and that the reactor had been under construction during Bashar al-Assad’s rule.
- The agency identified related undeclared facilities that include a fuel fabrication plant and a separate storage site for fuel, scrap and waste, and concluded that former Syrian authorities failed to report those materials and activities under NPT safeguards.
- IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi led verification visits after Syria’s post-2024 government notified the agency on July 17 and granted access, and the IAEA credited Damascus’ cooperation for allowing the agency to resolve its long-standing questions.
- Excavation, environmental sampling and monitoring at Deir el-Zour are continuing and the IAEA will present these findings to its Board, a development that could influence regional security discussions and future decisions about custody or removal of the material.