Conflict & Security
Syria nuclear material found at undeclared site, IAEA says
Several tons of nuclear material found at an undeclared site in Syria will be put under international safeguards, International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said during a visit to Damascus.
Grossi said IAEA inspectors had found “a few tons” of nuclear material that “could be put to bad use”. He said inspectors visited two sites, one in Deir Ezzor and a second location linked to material recently identified by Syria.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus sent the IAEA an official letter on July 17 declaring “of our own free will” the presence of nuclear materials at an undeclared site. He said technical assessments indicated the materials did not pose a risk and that they would remain in Syrian national custody under the IAEA safeguards system.
Grossi said Syrian and IAEA experts would work together to store the materials safely and that the material would be accounted for under international safeguards.
Grossi also visited a site in Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria that has been shut for 18 years. The IAEA declared in 2011 that the site was “very likely” to have been a nuclear reactor and said information provided to it suggested it was being built with North Korean assistance.
In 2018, Israel admitted carrying out a top-secret air raid against the site 11 years earlier. In 2008, US officials accused Syria of having sought to build a secret nuclear reactor and acknowledged that Israel had destroyed it.
Pierre Razoux, academic director of the FMES Institute in France, told AFP the nuclear material found was “most likely” linked to the Syrian nuclear programme halted after the 2007 Israeli raid on the Al-Kibar site in Deir Ezzor. He said Syria may also have nuclear materials that Iraq got rid of at the start of the 2000s.
The IAEA said last year that it had discovered uranium particles at the Deir Ezzor site during a 2024 inspection.
Axios reported last week, citing US and Israeli officials, that Washington and the IAEA had reached an agreement for the watchdog to remove nuclear material stored at a clandestine site in Syria after understandings with Syria and Israel. Axios said Israel was closely monitoring a location called “Site 99”, where Israeli officials said the Assad government stored nuclear material linked to the Deir Ezzor project.
Update
IAEA inspectors visited two sites, including one in Deir Ezzor and another location linked to the nuclear material Syria recently identified.
The IAEA declared in 2011 that the Deir Ezzor site was very likely to have been a nuclear reactor and said information suggested North Korean assistance.
Pierre Razoux of the FMES Institute told AFP the material was most likely linked to Syria's nuclear programme halted after the 2007 Israeli raid, while saying Syria may also have material Iraq disposed of in the early 2000s.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 August 2026 at 17:05:55 UTC.
Update
Syria's foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus told the IAEA on July 17 about nuclear material at an undeclared site from the former regime's legacy.
Shaibani said technical assessments indicated the material did not pose a risk and would remain in Syrian custody under IAEA safeguards.
IAEA head Rafael Grossi said Syrian and IAEA experts would work together to store the material safely.
Grossi visited the Deir Ezzor site and said excavation and exploration work there supported the IAEA's assessment that a nuclear facility had been built in secrecy.
The IAEA said last year that it had found uranium particles at Deir Ezzor during a 2024 inspection.
Axios reported claims by US and Israeli officials about talks on removing nuclear material from a clandestine site in Syria.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 August 2026 at 15:36:24 UTC.
Update
Rafael Grossi said the nuclear material was found at a previously undeclared site in Syria.
Grossi said the site dated from the rule of Syria's previous authorities.
Grossi said the IAEA gained access after being informed of another site where nuclear material had been stored.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 August 2026 at 14:11:34 UTC.
Update
The IAEA chief said the watchdog found “tons of nuclear materials that could be put to bad use” in Syria.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 August 2026 at 13:53:26 UTC.
Update
Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Syria sent an official letter to the agency on July 17 declaring the materials.
Shaibani said the nuclear materials were at an undeclared site linked to the legacy of the former regime.
Shaibani said Rafael Grossi and an agency team completed a site visit and collected samples.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 August 2026 at 13:57:14 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The precise type, condition and origin of the nuclear material are not established in the supplied material.
The relationship between the newly identified undeclared site, the Deir Ezzor site and the location Axios called “Site 99” is not fully established in the supplied material.
Claims about North Korean assistance, Iraqi-origin material and the planned removal of material are attributed to the named organisations or individuals and are not independently established here.
Source
AFP news report published on .