IAEA begins excavation at suspected Syrian nuclear site as Damascus vows safeguards

United Nations nuclear inspectors have started excavating a site in eastern Syria linked to a clandestine atomic program under the country's former government, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Thursday.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi, speaking at a press conference in Damascus, said he and his team had visited the Deir el-Zour location, where comprehensive excavation and exploration work is now underway. He added that another site containing nuclear material had also been identified, though he did not provide further details.

The development comes as Syria's new leadership, under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, has pledged full cooperation with the UN watchdog and granted inspectors access to suspected nuclear sites — a shift from the era of ousted President Bashar Assad, whose government allowed only limited visits.

Grossi stressed the importance of Syria's cooperation, noting that several tons of nuclear material could pose risks if mishandled. "This material will be accounted for and will be put within the international safeguard system," he said.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said Damascus remains interested in developing a peaceful nuclear program and intends to keep any nuclear material in its custody under international safeguards. He added that technical evaluations indicate the material poses no danger.

The Deir el-Zour site first came to light after an Israeli airstrike in 2007 destroyed the facility, which was believed to have been built with North Korean assistance. Syria later razed the site and never fully answered IAEA questions about it. In 2024, before Assad's ouster in December of that year, inspectors took samples at three locations and later found traces of uranium at one of them.

Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, though it has never officially declared its arsenal.