Congressmen Respond to Letter from Iranian Government

Months after three U.S. congressmen first made a formal request for a visa to travel to Iran, THE WEEKLY STANDARD reported Monday that the Iranian government finally issued a response. The congressmen were looking to make a fact-finding trip to examine Iran’s nuclear program, the status of American hostages, and verify that Iran was holding free and fair elections.

While Iranian officials and the Iranian press publicly denigrated the congressmen’s request, the tone of the official response that was sent to the State Department last week was surprisingly contemptuous. It characterized the congressmen as trying to “dictate” Iranian policy rather than merely apply for a visa. (You can read Iran’s letter in response here.)