IAEA: Syrian Nuclear Reactor Was Near Completion

Monday 07 September 2026 - 13:21

The issue of the Syrian nuclear program has resurfaced with new revelations from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to its Director General, Rafael Grossi, the reactor that was clandestinely built in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria, was at a very advanced stage when the site was destroyed.

A Reactor Almost Ready to Operate

During a press conference held in Vienna, Rafael Grossi stated that the construction was nearly complete. According to the IAEA Director General, the reactor was essentially only missing the loading of fuel to enter its operational phase.

These details come after the publication of a report by the UN agency dedicated to the facilities discovered in Deir Ezzor. The IAEA's analysis established that the infrastructures present at the site matched the characteristics of a nuclear reactor.

The site was associated with activities conducted under Bashar al-Assad's regime and has remained closed for nearly two decades.

Technical Features Raising Questions

However, Rafael Grossi was cautious about the exact purpose of the program. The IAEA does not assert that the Syrian authorities were explicitly pursuing a military objective.

Nevertheless, the agency head highlighted one major element: the reactor's design was particularly suited for the production of fissile material. Such material can, depending on its characteristics and processing conditions, be used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

This configuration thus constitutes an important factor in assessing the intentions surrounding the Syrian project at the time.

A Discreet Construction

For Rafael Grossi, another aspect of the dossier stands out: the Syrian officials involved seemed to want to keep their activities away from external scrutiny.

The lack of accessible information and the destruction that occurred at the site complicate the work of investigators today. The IAEA Director General does not rule out that some explosions may have been caused to make it more difficult to reconstruct exactly what was present in Deir Ezzor.

This hypothesis underscores the challenges the agency faces in establishing a complete timeline and determining the exact nature of the operations conducted on-site.

Israel's Role in the Site's Destruction

The history of the Deir Ezzor reactor is also linked to the Israeli military intervention. In 2018, Israel officially acknowledged that it had bombed the site eleven years earlier, in 2007.

At the time, Israeli authorities claimed that their operation specifically targeted a nuclear reactor under construction.

Nearly twenty years after the events, the new conclusions from the IAEA thus reinforce the significance of the site in the history of the Syrian nuclear program, while leaving questions about its objectives and the activities that were actually conducted there.

A Sensitive Issue for the IAEA

Rafael Grossi's statements come as the IAEA Board of Governors meets in Vienna. They give a new dimension to the Syrian dossier, particularly due to the level of advancement the reactor reportedly reached before its destruction.

The challenge for the agency now is to establish, based on the available elements, what had been built, what operations had been planned, and how far the Syrian authorities at the time had pursued this project.