IAEA Chief Yukiya Amano said there’s no guarantee Iran’s nuclear activities are all peaceful. Photo: wiki commons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency investigation into Iran’s past nuclear work must remain open, said foreign policy experts in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

The IAEA board of governors is meeting on Tuesday to “consider a report by the Director General providing the final assessment on past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programme,” said the IAEA website.

Despite Iran’s demand that the IAEA close the probe, Western countries should insist that keeping it open is not inconsistent with the nuclear agreement, wrote Michael Singh of the Washington Institute of Near East Policy and Simond de Galbert of the Center for International Studies.

Rather, keeping it open until the IAEA has completely exhausted its investigative efforts is in line with Iran’s apparent disavowal of nuclear bomb-making activities.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that the IAEA moved to end the 12-year investigation on Tuesday. Leaked versions of the IAEA findings showed that Iran was carrying out activities related to a nuclear explosive device until as late as 2009.

US officials have said the nuclear deal will go forward regardless of whether Iran totally comes clean about its past work.