The head of the UN nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday that his agency had found several “tons of nuclear materials” at a previously undeclared site in Syria dating back to the period of the previous government.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani said the material posed no danger and would remain under Damascus’ control provided the International Atomic Energy Agency’s guarantees are respected. According to him, Syria has the right to keep this material and use it for civilian and peaceful purposes. Al-Shaybani said this on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Grossi in Damascus.
Commitments of the new government and the past
After the ousting of President Bashar Assad at the end of 2024, the new Syrian government undertook to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog to resolve issues related to the nuclear activities of the previous government during the decades of rule by the Assad family.
Grossi noted that the agency gained access to the site after the Syrian government reported it. There is currently no information about the presence in Syria of active stocks of nuclear materials for a nuclear weapons program. At the same time, Israel bombed a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in the eastern Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor in 2007.
Source: France 24
