DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The new Syrian government has agreed to give inspectors from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog access to suspected former nuclear sites immediately, the agency’s head told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said in an interview in Damascus, where he met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other officials, that al-Sharaa had also expressed an interest in pursuing nuclear energy for Syria in the future.

The agency’s aim is “to bring total clarity over certain activities that took place in the past that were in the judgment of the agency, probably related to, nuclear weapons,” Grossi said.

An IAEA team in 2024 visited some sites of interest while former President Bashar Assad was still in power. Since the fall of Assad in December, the IAEA has been seeking to restore access to sites associated with Syria's nuclear program.

Grossi described the new government as “committed to opening up to the world to international cooperation” and said he is hopeful of finishing the inspection process within months.