Syrian reactor could have been used for nuclear weapons if completed, UN says
Chief of nuclear watchdog says secret Assad-era facility would have been able to produce fissile material
TL;DR
- A secret nuclear reactor built during the Bashar al-Assad era in Syria could have produced fissile material for nuclear weapons.
- IAEA inspectors visited two sites, including one in Deir ez-Zor and a previously undeclared location.
- At the undeclared site, inspectors found and verified 73 tonnes of natural uranium metal, hidden behind "walls" and "narrow passages".
- The reactor's technical configuration made it efficient for producing fissile material.
- Syria notified the IAEA of the site's existence and invited cooperation.
- Natural uranium metal is not directly usable for nuclear weapons but can be diverted to a covert program.
- The future disposition of the discovered nuclear material is a decision for the Syrian government.