IAEA to Visit Syria to Remove Nuclear Materials from Secret Site

Welat TV – Erbil

Syria has confirmed that it continues to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as well as with the United States and friendly countries, to activate Syria’s full membership in the agency and support it in the peaceful applications of nuclear energy, including health, food, and scientific research.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, August 11, the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission renewed its call for the formation of a specialized international committee to provide the necessary technical and legal support, ensuring that all procedures are completed in accordance with the highest international standards.

It said that Syria will receive an IAEA delegation in the coming days, adding that the two sides will jointly announce the significant progress Syria has made in this field.

The statement came after a report published by the U.S. website Axios on Monday, in which U.S. and Israeli officials revealed that the IAEA would soon remove nuclear materials stored at a secret site inside Syria known as “Site 99,” under understandings reached by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration with the Syrian and Israeli governments.

Joint Understanding

Axios reported that the Trump administration had asked Israel not to take any action and involved the IAEA in the negotiations. It noted that an agreement had been signed between the agency and the Syrian government around three weeks ago, providing for the removal of nuclear materials from the secret “Site 99.”

What Does “Site 99” Contain?

According to a U.S. official, the nuclear materials stored at “Site 99” include yellowcake, a uranium ore concentrate that can subsequently be processed and enriched as part of the nuclear fuel cycle, in addition to other residues and waste from the al-Kibar site.

The official explained that these materials cannot be used to manufacture a nuclear weapon but could potentially be used to make what is known as a “dirty bomb”—a conventional device designed to disperse radioactive material and contaminate an area rather than produce a nuclear explosion.

Read also: U.S.-Israeli Understandings Lead to Removal of Nuclear Materials from Secret Site in Syria