IAEA chief: Syria’s new government opens doors to nuclear inspectors

Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi has said that Syria’s newly formed government consented to allow inspectors from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog immediate access to previously suspected nuclear sites.

“IAEA aims to bring total clarity over certain activities that took place in the past that were, in the judgment of the agency, probably related to nuclear weapons,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Grossi’s exclusive interview with The Associated Press in Damascus.

Grossi met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other officials. He noted that al-Sharaa expressed interest in developing nuclear energy for Syria in the future, stating simply, “Why not?”

He characterised the new government as “committed to opening up to the world, to international cooperation” and expressed optimism about completing the inspection process within a few months. In 2024, an IAEA team visited several sites of interest while Bashar Assad was still president. Since Assad’s removal in December, the agency has sought to regain access to sites connected to Syria’s nuclear program. Under Assad, Syria is believed to have operated a covert nuclear program, including an undeclared nuclear reactor constructed by North Korea in the eastern Deir el-Zour province.

The IAEA described this reactor as “not configured to produce electricity,” raising concerns that Damascus aimed to produce weapons-grade plutonium for nuclear weapons there. The facility became publicly known after Israel, the Middle East’s only nuclear power, conducted airstrikes in 2007 that destroyed the reactor. Syria subsequently demolished the site and never fully cooperated with the IAEA’s inquiries.

Grossi stated that inspectors intend to revisit the reactor in Deir el-Zour as well as three other related locations. Other sites under IAEA safeguards include a miniature neutron source reactor in Damascus and a uranium processing facility in Homs. “We are trying to narrow down the focus, to those or that one that could be of a real interest,” he said. Although there is no evidence of radiation leaks from these sites, the agency remains concerned that “enriched uranium can be lying somewhere and could be reused, could be smuggled, could be trafficked.” Grossi added that al-Sharaa — who has actively engaged Western governments since assuming power — demonstrated a “very positive disposition to talk to us and to allow us to carry out the activities we need to.”

Beyond inspections, Grossi revealed that the IAEA is ready to supply nuclear medicine equipment and assist in rebuilding Syria’s radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, and oncology infrastructure, which has suffered after nearly 14 years of civil war. “And the president has expressed to me he’s interested in exploring, in the future, nuclear energy as well,” Grossi said. Several other countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan, are also pursuing nuclear energy programs. Grossi suggested Syria would likely focus on small modular reactors, which are more cost-effective and easier to deploy than large traditional reactors.

Regarding ongoing US-Iran negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme, Grossi said he has maintained “constant contact” with the parties involved. “They are negotiating, it’s not us, but it is obvious that the IAEA will have to be the guarantor of whichever agreement they come to,” he said. Despite significant disagreements—especially over uranium enrichment—Grossi expressed encouragement that the two sides are negotiating directly and appear serious about reaching a deal. “I think they both want an agreement, which doesn’t mean that it’s easy to get, but, simple and obvious as this may sound, having two sides that want an agreement is an enormous advantage,” he noted. “In my long diplomatic career, I have participated in negotiations where it was not necessarily the case that the sides wanted an agreement.”

By Naila Huseynova