Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced that 73 tons of natural uranium in the country had been placed under the safeguards and supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Al-Shaibani said the material would be kept safely in Syria and that nuclear technologies would be used for peaceful purposes.
Speaking via video link at the 70th session of the IAEA General Conference, Al-Shaibani said the IAEA Board of Governors had decided on September 9 to close Syria’s nuclear non-compliance file, which had remained open since 2011, and permanently remove the issue from its agenda.
A new era between Damascus and the IAEA
Describing the decision as a turning point that brought a 15-year period to an end, Al-Shaibani said the process ahead would be conducted according to the principles of transparency, cooperation and mutual trust. He thanked Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia for contributing to the preparation of the decision.
In an official letter sent to the IAEA on July 17, the Damascus administration announced that nuclear material had been found at an undeclared facility. Syria and the agency signed a memorandum of understanding and a road map on July 29 concerning the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Al-Shaibani announced that the facility in Deir ez-Zor had been opened to the IAEA, and that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had visited the site on August 16 after it had remained closed for approximately 20 years. Syrian and IAEA experts began working to remove reactor remains from beneath reinforced-concrete layers.
The Damascus administration also submitted the design information and nuclear material inventory reports requested by the IAEA Board of Governors since 2011. Al-Shaibani said the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission had addressed within a few weeks issues that had remained unresolved for 15 years, despite its limited resources.
Plans for peaceful use of nuclear technologies
The Syrian foreign minister announced that his country would use nuclear technologies to redevelop nuclear medicine infrastructure used in cancer treatment. Al-Shaibani also said isotope technologies would be used in agriculture and groundwater management, radiation in food would be monitored, and scientific research and energy production would be supported.
Al-Shaibani said the program would be carried out under international supervision and strict safeguards, adding that Syria wanted to use atomic energy for treatment, food and lighting.
Al-Shaibani also renewed his call for the implementation of the 1995 resolution on establishing a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. He called for all facilities in the region to be placed, without exception, under comprehensive IAEA safeguards.
Accusations against Israel and call for international pressure
In his address, Al-Shaibani accused Israeli forces of continuing to violate Syria’s sovereignty and attack Syrian territory, arguing that these actions violated the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement and international law.
Al-Shaibani called for effective and determined international and diplomatic pressure to halt the attacks, compel Israel to comply with the 1974 agreement and ensure its full withdrawal to the lines that existed before December 8, 2024. He argued that inaction over the violations threatened international peace and security and weakened the principles of international law.
