Damascus: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani affirmed on Tuesday that Syria adheres to its right to use nuclear energy for civilian and peaceful purposes, stressing that the nuclear materials located in the country at a “secret” site will remain under the custody of the Syrian state, in accordance with the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Speaking in Damascus during a joint press conference with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, the minister said, “Damascus will work to create the necessary conditions for processing and storing these materials safely, in coordination with the IAEA.”

According to National Iraqi News Agency, al-Shaibani further explained, “On July 17th, we sent an official letter to the Agency, voluntarily declaring the presence of nuclear materials at an undeclared site, part of the legacy left by the previous regime.” He added that Syria invited the Agency to verify the site, and that “the Director General and the Agency’s team completed their visit to the site this morning and collected the necessary samples.”

For his part, Grossi said, “We found several tons of nuclear materials in Syria that could be misused.”