Syrian Foreign Minister Affirms Right to Civilian Use of Nuclear Material Amid IAEA Oversight

Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani stated that Syria's nuclear material will remain under Syrian custody, subject to guarantees from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He emphasized Syria's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful civilian purposes. This statement follows reports last week that the IAEA plans to remove nuclear material stored at a secret Syrian site, based on understandings reached with the Trump administration. Al-Shibani added that Syria will work to establish the necessary conditions for processing and securely storing this material.