Syria Urges IAEA to Close Non-Compliance File Amid New Disclosures

Syria affirmed its full commitment to cooperation and transparency with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), formally urging the closure of the “non-compliance” file during the upcoming session of the IAEA Board of Governors.

Voluntary nuclear disclosures and site access

In an official briefing to representatives and ambassadors of IAEA member states in Vienna, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission outlined national efforts to resolve the file. These included the voluntary declaration of previously unreported nuclear materials and their submission to international safeguards and verification.

According to separate statements issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission, Syrian representatives informed the IAEA that the government had authorized access to the Deir al-Zour site after more than 18 years. They also disclosed a second, previously undeclared location containing nuclear materials — steps Damascus described as reflecting its high level of cooperation and openness aimed at building international confidence.

IAEA non-compliance designation since 2011

The “non-compliance” designation was adopted by the IAEA in 2011 following Syria’s failure to declare a suspected nuclear reactor at Deir al-Zour and its lack of provision of required information about the facility. The file remains on the agenda of the Board of Governors despite ongoing efforts toward resolution.

Syrian Atomic Energy Commission President Muder Al-Akla stated that the current Syrian government bears no connection to the undeclared nuclear activities linked to the previous regime — the very activities that led to the non-compliance status. He emphasized that Damascus has treated the file as a national responsibility and made a strategic decision to cooperate with the IAEA at the highest possible level of openness.

Al-Akla added that Syrian authorities have provided technical and logistical facilitations described as unprecedented and unconditional, specifically to respond to IAEA inquiries and to ensure appropriate conditions for verification and inspection activities. Syrian entities have also undertaken efforts to locate relevant nuclear information and materials, submitting all discovered items to national safeguards under IAEA supervision.

First chemical weapons destruction since 2014

Meanwhile, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Al-Ali, announced that the country has launched its first operation to destroy certain chemical substances uncovered following the fall of the previous regime.

Speaking during a United Nations Security Council session on the Middle East, Al-Ali said: “I would like to announce before you today a historic moment — the commencement of the destruction of some chemical substances found in Syria, as part of the verification procedures carried out by the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.”

He clarified that this is the first destruction operation since Syria’s liberation from the previous regime and the first destruction of chemical munitions on Syrian soil since 2014. Al-Ali characterized the development as potentially serving as a model for diplomacy coupled with genuine political will and international cooperation.

73 tonnes of natural uranium identified

A recent IAEA confidential report — whose details were recently published — confirmed the discovery of approximately 73 tonnes of natural uranium at one site. Of this total, 55 tonnes were in the form of fuel rods, and around 18 tonnes consisted of uranium scrap and waste.