In February, THE WEEKLY STANDARD reported on the attempt of three congressmen, Reps. Mike Pompeo, Lee Zeldin, and Frank LoBiondo, to request visas to travel to Iran. Among other things, they hoped to use the trip to independently verify aspects of the Iranian nuclear deal since the Obama administration had unlawfully withheld aspects of the deal from Congress. They also wanted an update on American citizens being held hostage in Iran, as well as more background on how American soldiers were treated when Iran seized an American Navy vessel in January. And they wanted a chance to witness Iran’s election on February 26 to see if it was as democratic as Iranian authorities claimed.
To request permission to travel to Iran, the congressmen hand-delivered a letter to the Iranian interest section in Washington, D.C. (Since severing diplomatic ties with Iran in 1980, Iran hasn’t had an embassy and maintains a small office in the Pakistani embassy.) You can read the full letter here, but the letter was respectful and straightforward about its concerns over Iranian government actions. The Iranian government did not respond to their letter, though there was much derisive commentary from Iranian officials in the Iranian press about the congressmen’s request to visit.
Though the election had passed, the congressmen sent a follow-up letter on April 12 asking if they could visit again and noting they had received no official response to their visa request. They noted that the governor of Iran’s central bank was visiting the United States that week, so the United States did not have any problem hosting visiting Iranian officials.
Two-and-a-half months later, the State Department has finally received an official response from the Iranian government. It is reasonable to say that the letter is openly contemptuous and refers to the congressmen’s request to visit Iran as a “publicity stunt.” It also mischaracterizes the congressmen as demanding to visit Iran, rather than going through the formal process of applying for a visa.
“Despite what you seem to presume, members of the U.S. Congress do not get to dictate the policies of other countries,” the letter reads.
“[Americans who have visited Iran] have been able to do so by making requests consistent with the relevant regulations of the host country and in the appropriate[,] respectful manner and not in the completely inappropriate way you have demanded to visit Iran and interfere in what is of no relevance to your official functions.”
Iran’s letter did not provide any guidance as to under what circumstances a congressional visit would be permissible. However, it was reported today that while American political representatives can’t visit Iran, Iran is opening talks with American executives at Boeing to purchase airplanes.
You can read the congressmen’s April 12 letter to Iran, along with the Iranian response, in the document below.
