Secret Syrian nuclear reactor could have made material for weapons use, UN reports

A nearly complete nuclear reactor secretly built in Syria under former leader Bashar al-Assad could have produced fissile material for possible use in nuclear weapons, according to Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The assessment follows inspections carried out last month at two sites in Syria, including one in Deir ez-Zor and another previously undisclosed location identified by Syrian authorities. The inspections came after Assad was ousted in December 2024 and the new government agreed to provide the IAEA access to suspected former nuclear sites. Reactor capable of producing fissile material Grossi said the reactor’s design and technical characteristics indicated that it could have been used to produce material suitable for nuclear weapons. “Given the configuration, the technical features of that type of reactor, this is a reactor that is very efficient in the production of fissile material that could be used directly for the fabrication of nuclear weapons,” he said, adding that building the reactor was a “very important step.” Grossi also said it was “obvious that the previous government was pursuing a number of clandestine” activities. “They didn’t want the world to know what they were doing,” he told reporters after opening the agency’s quarterly board of governors meeting in Vienna. During an August visit, IAEA inspectors confirmed that “the cooling infrastructure which has now been uncovered is consistent with that of a nuclear reactor”. Israel acknowledged in 2018 that it had carried out an airstrike on the site in 2007. In 2008, U.S. officials accused Syria of attempting to build a secret nuclear reactor and acknowledged that Israel had destroyed it. Syrian authorities notified the IAEA of the second site in a July 17 letter and invited the agency to inspect it and verify any nuclear material that might be present. According to an IAEA report circulated to member states, the site contained “natural uranium metal in the form of fuel rods with cladding”. Inspectors verified the material and confirmed “the presence of around 73 tonnes (80 U.S. tons) of natural uranium metal.” Grossi said inspectors had to “tear down walls” and pass through “very difficult and narrow passages” to reach the hidden material. He said boxes were scattered throughout the site. Material placed under safeguards Grossi said the uranium is now under IAEA monitoring and inspectors have installed cameras at the location. “The important thing is that this material now is under safeguards of the IAEA,” he said. Whether the uranium stays in Syria or is removed will be decided by the Syrian government, according to Grossi. Logan Mintz, a director for nuclear materials security at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, said natural uranium metal was not directly usable for a nuclear weapon but could be “diverted to a covert weapons program that further processes it into plutonium for a nuclear weapon”. Any transport of the material would require “robust security from theft or sabotage,” Mintz revealed. The developments are the latest findings from the IAEA’s inspection of Syria’s past nuclear activities as it continues to verify former sites in the country.Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Atharva is a full-time content writer with a post-graduate degree in media & amp; entertainment and a graduate degree in electronics & telecommunications. He has written in the sports and technology domains respectively. In his leisure time, Atharva loves learning about digital marketing and watching soccer matches. His main goal behind joining Interesting Engineering is to learn more about how the recent technological advancements are helping human beings on both societal and individual levels in their daily lives.