Syria’s Atomic Energy Commission said Tuesday that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency will visit the country to announce “significant progress,” effectively confirming a report that the UN nuclear watchdog is preparing to remove nuclear material from a secret site in Syria.
The announcement follows a report by Axios that the IAEA is expected to begin removing the material after the Trump administration reached understandings with Syria and Israel.
According to Israeli and U.S. officials cited in the report, Washington and the IAEA worked together to secure a diplomatic arrangement that would remove the material and avert an escalation involving Israel, Syria and potentially Turkey over the sensitive site.
Behind the scenes, the report said, months of threats and intensive diplomacy preceded the agreement reached several weeks ago.
Under former Syrian President Bashar Assad, Syria maintained a covert nuclear program centered on the secret reactor at al-Kibar.
