IAEA ends Syria nuclear probe after new authorities open former sites

Vienna,UPDATED: Sep 9, 2026 19:14 IST

The board of governors of the UN nuclear watchdog has unanimously adopted a resolution ending its investigation into Syria’s past secret nuclear activities, nearly two decades after the matter first emerged. Diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because the vote was held behind closed doors, said the 35-member board of the Vienna-based Atomic Energy Agency adopted the measure on Wednesday.

The resolution ends the provisions of a 2011 decision that found Syria in non-compliance with its non-proliferation obligations for secretly building a nuclear reactor in Deir el-Zour. At the same time, the draft underlined that Syria “remains bound” by its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its safeguards agreement with the IAEA, and urged it “to continue its cooperation with the Agency, including the excavation work” at the reactor site.

Under ousted former President Bashar Assad, Syria was believed to have run an extensive undeclared nuclear programme that included a reactor built by North Korea in eastern Deir el-Zour province. The site became public after Israel destroyed the facility in airstrikes in 2007. Syria later levelled the site and never fully answered the IAEA’s questions about it.

In June 2011, the IAEA board found Syria in non-compliance and reported the matter to the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly for consideration of sanctions. Under the non-proliferation treaty and its safeguards agreement with the watchdog, Syria is required to declare all nuclear material and activities to the agency and allow inspectors to verify that none is diverted from peaceful uses.

After Assad’s ouster in December 2024, Syria’s new authorities agreed to grant IAEA inspectors access to suspected former nuclear sites. The resolution, put forward by Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, welcomed “the transparency and cooperation” of the new authorities and commended them “for the actions taken in resolving its non-compliance”. Delegates were heard applauding inside the boardroom after the resolution was adopted.

The draft resolution, seen by The Associated Press, also asked IAEA chief Rafael Grossi to continue updating the board on the “outcomes of ongoing activities” in Syria. During a visit to Syria in August, Grossi and senior inspectors observed excavation work at the Deir el-Zour reactor and inspected other locations, including sites linked to fuel fabrication, fuel storage and planned reprocessing activities. They also visited a previously undeclared site where 73 tonnes of natural uranium metal were being unearthed, including 55 tonnes in the form of fuel rods. The IAEA said all of this material has been placed under its surveillance measures.

In effect, the board’s decision closes the IAEA’s long-running investigation into Syria’s past non-compliance while keeping in place the country’s obligations to cooperate with the agency and account for its nuclear material and activities.

With PTI Inputs

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