International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi met with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and discussed nuclear non-proliferation issues, including Iran and Grossi's recent visit to Syria, Grossi announced in a post on X/Twitter on Tuesday evening.
Grossi arrived in the US ahead of the launch of the IAEA's initiative ATLAS, designed to aid the deployment of civil nuclear applications at sea, including nuclear-powered ships and floating nuclear power plants to support trade and provide energy for remote communities and industries.
Nuclear material in Syria was discovered and collected by the IAEA, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani said in a joint press conference with Grossi on August 18.
"We will provide the necessary conditions for handling nuclear materials and storing them safely," said Shaibani, who further noted that Damascus, "on its own initiative," permitted the IAEA to access the site.
Syrian authorities working with IAEA over Assad nuclear legacy
Since the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, Syria's new authorities have committed to working with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog to address the legacy of nuclear activities during decades of Assad family rule.
Grossi said the agency accessed the site after the Syrian government notified it.
Syria is not known to hold operational stockpiles of nuclear material for a weapons program, but Israel bombed a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007 in the country's eastern province of Deir Ezzor.
Reuters contributed to this report.