IAEA: Traces of Uranium Found in Syrian Reactor

Traces Weren't Included in Previous Declarations on Inventory

It was much ado about very little in Syria again today as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that it had found trace amounts of uranium inside the nation’s Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) which were not included in the nation’s previous declarations regarding their inventory.

The IAEA report says it detected “manmade” uranium particles in the MNSR, a small research reactor located in Damascus. The reactor was obtained from the Chinese government and operates using enriched uranium.

The IAEA admitted that it was not clear whether or not there was any link between this and a handful of particles discovered during the visit to a Syrian site attacked by the Israeli military, which the US has alleged was a yet to be completed gas-graphite reactor.

Still, the paucity of information was not enough to prevent speculation that the nation was running tests at the MNSR related to the alleged facility. The IAEA has requested further clarification, but ultimately has no definitive evidence of any wrongdoing.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.