AI Generated Image
Syrian reactor could have been used for nuclear weapons if completed, UN says
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- The UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA, revealed that a nearly complete secret nuclear reactor built under Bashar al-Assad in Syria could produce fissile material suitable for nuclear weapons fabrication.
- IAEA inspectors visited two sites in Syria, including one in Deir ez-Zor, confirming the presence of natural uranium metal fuel rods and cooling infrastructure consistent with a nuclear reactor.
- The reactor, believed to have been built with North Korean assistance, was previously targeted by an Israeli airstrike in 2007, which Syria only acknowledged in 2024 after the Assad regime was ousted.
- The IAEA has secured the nuclear material under safeguards and installed monitoring cameras, but the decision to remove or retain the material in Syria lies with the new Syrian government.
- Experts note that while natural uranium metal is not directly weaponizable, it could be processed into plutonium for weapons, and any transport of such material would require stringent security measures.
