An Assad-era nuclear reactor at Deir Az Zor in Syria was configured to produce fissile material that could have been used directly to make nuclear weapons, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said at a media conference in Vienna on Monday.
The IAEA is investigating the facility with cooperation from Syria’s new authorities. Inspectors have placed material found at the site under safeguards and installed cameras while excavation continues.
What the IAEA found at Deir Az Zor
The agency said its observations showed that the site’s uncovered cooling infrastructure was consistent with a nuclear reactor. Grossi described the reactor as highly efficient at producing fissile material, which can be used for nuclear weapons fabrication.
The IAEA said it will continue monitoring activity at the location as excavation work progresses. Grossi said boxes were scattered across the site when inspectors arrived, and that nuclear material had been hidden there.
The facility’s history and Syria’s cooperation
The facility became publicly known after Israeli air strikes destroyed it in 2007. The IAEA has said former Syrian authorities failed to report nuclear material, facilities and activities linked to the programme.
The agency has also identified a fuel fabrication plant, where fuel for the reactor was manufactured, and a storage site for nuclear fuel, uranium scrap and waste. The current Syrian administration is made up of the group that overthrew Bashar al-Assad in 2024 and has cooperated with the latest inspection work.
What happens next
The IAEA will continue monitoring the Deir Az Zor site as excavation work advances, while inspectors investigate the previously undeclared location notified to the agency in July.
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