IAEA Chief: Assad-Era Syrian Reactor Was Configured to Produce Weapons-Grade Fissile Material

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told a Vienna press conference on September 7, 2026 that the undeclared reactor project uncovered at Deir ez-Zor was 'very efficient in the production of fissile material that could be used directly for the fabrication of nuclear weapons,' calling the investigation's progress a 'historic breakthrough.' The finding follows the agency's September 2 report that inspectors located roughly 73 metric tons of undeclared natural uranium metal, mostly in fuel-rod form, now under IAEA safeguards with cameras installed at the site. Grossi said Syria's transitional government provided the access and information needed to resolve outstanding safeguards questions, and that it is now up to Damascus whether the material remains in Syria or is removed, with the IAEA's priority being continuous tracking of its location. The reactor project is linked to the al-Kibar site Israel destroyed in a 2007 airstrike.