IAEA: Uranium traces found in Syria

The United Nations–affiliated IAEA said in a report to member states on Monday that it had found uranium traces in Syria during its investigation of a building destroyed by Israel in 2007, likely an undeclared nuclear reactor.

Bashar al-Assad, former Syrian regime president, had insisted that the Deir ez-Zor site, which housed the building, was a conventional military base. However, the agency concluded in 2011 that the building was most likely a covert reactor that Damascus should have declared.

The report, reviewed by Reuters, explained that the agency collected environmental samples last year from three sites believed to be functionally linked to the Deir ez-Zor location.

The analysis revealed a significant number of natural uranium particles at one of the sites, determined to be of human origin resulting from chemical processing. However, the report did not reach a final conclusion about the implications of these traces.

The report noted that “the current Syrian authorities stated that they have no explanation for the presence of these particles,” but did allow the agency to revisit the site in June to collect additional samples.

During a meeting in the same month between IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and Ahmed al-Sharaa, Damascus agreed to full cooperation with the agency in addressing its past nuclear activities.

At that time, Grossi requested Syria’s assistance in returning to Deir ez-Zor in the coming months to conduct further analyses, review related documents, and speak with individuals involved in those activities.

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ANHA