Syria places 73 tons of uranium under IAEA safeguards

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Monday announced that Damascus has placed 73 tons of natural uranium under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, describing the move as a turning point that ends 15 years of non-compliance.

IAEA safeguards and file closure

Speaking via video to the IAEA General Conference, al-Shaibani stated that the Board of Governors unanimously decided on Sept. 9 to close Syria's nuclear file, which had remained open since 2011, according to the state news agency SANA. He noted that Damascus sent an official letter to the agency on July 17 disclosing nuclear material at an undeclared site before signing a cooperation roadmap on July 29, adding that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi visited the Deir ez-Zor facility on Aug. 16 after nearly two decades of closure.

Syrian and IAEA experts have begun removing reactor remnants from beneath reinforced concrete at the site, according to the minister, who also confirmed that Damascus provided design information and inventory reports sought by the Board since 2011. The Atomic Energy Commission addressed these issues within weeks despite limited resources, he said.

Regional security concerns

Al-Shaibani accused Israeli forces of continuing to violate Syrian sovereignty and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, calling for “effective and firm” international pressure to compel Israel to withdraw to pre-Dec. 8, 2024 lines. He warned that continued inaction threatens international peace and security, and renewed Syria's call for implementing a 1995 resolution establishing a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

Peaceful nuclear applications

The minister outlined plans to apply nuclear technology to rehabilitate cancer treatment infrastructure, deploy isotopes in agriculture and groundwater management, and support scientific research. "Syria wants from the atom what heals, what feeds and what illuminates," al-Shaibani said, adding that the program would operate under strict international supervision.