Syria to give UN inspectors immediate access to former nuclear sites, IAEA says

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By&nbspGavin Blackburn&nbspwith&nbspAP

Published on 05/06/2025 - 16:30 GMT+2

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Syria's caller authorities has agreed to springiness UN inspectors entree to suspected erstwhile atomic sites immediately, nan head wide of nan International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said.

Rafael Grossi confirmed nan improvement aft talks pinch Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and different officials successful Damascus.

The UN agency's purpose is "to bring full clarity complete definite activities that took spot successful nan past that were, successful nan judgement of nan agency, astir apt related to atomic weapons", Grossi said.

He described nan caller Syrian authorities arsenic "committed to opening up to nan world, to world cooperation", and expressed dream that nan inspection process could beryllium completed wrong months.

In 2024, an IAEA squad visited immoderate sites of liking while erstwhile President Bashar al-Assad was still successful power.

Since al-Assad's autumn successful December, nan IAEA has been seeking to reconstruct entree to sites associated pinch Syria's atomic programme.

Under nan erstwhile dictator's rule, Syria is believed to person operated an extended clandestine atomic programme, which included an undeclared atomic reactor built by North Korea successful nan eastbound state of Deir el-Zour.

The IAEA described nan reactor arsenic being "not configured to nutrient electricity," raising nan interest that Damascus sought to conception a atomic explosive location by producing weapons-grade plutonium.

The reactor tract only became nationalist knowledge aft Israel destroyed nan installation successful airstrikes successful 2007.

Syria later levelled nan tract and ne'er responded afloat to nan IAEA's questions astir it.

Grossi said inspectors scheme to return to nan reactor successful Deir el-Zour arsenic good arsenic to 3 different sites.

Targeted inspections

A miniature neutron root reactor successful Damascus and a installation successful Homs that tin process yellow-cake uranium are among nan sites nether IAEA safeguards.

While location are nary indications that location person been releases of radiation from nan sites, Grossi said nan watchdog is concerned that "enriched uranium tin beryllium lying location and could beryllium reused, could beryllium smuggled, could beryllium trafficked".

He said al-Sharaa, who has courted Western governments since taking power, had shown a "very affirmative disposition to talk to america and to let america to transportation retired nan activities we request to".

Apart from resuming inspections, Grossi said nan IAEA is prepared to transportation instrumentality for atomic medicine and to thief rebuild nan radiotherapy, atomic medicine and oncology infrastructure successful a wellness strategy severely weakened by astir 14 years of civilian war.

"And nan president has expressed to maine he's willing successful exploring, successful nan future, atomic power arsenic well," Grossi said.

A number of different countries successful nan region, including Saudi Arabia, nan United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan, are pursuing atomic power successful immoderate form.

Grossi said Syria would astir apt beryllium looking into mini modular reactors, which are cheaper and easier to deploy than accepted ample ones.