President Joe Biden’s Iran envoy testified before members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a classified briefing on the Vienna talks, the Washington Examiner confirmed, capping months of bipartisan pressure.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers have urged Robert Malley, the U.S. special representative for Iran, to answer questions about the administration’s negotiations over a return to a 2015 nuclear deal amid concerns over the pace of Iran’s nuclear advances and sanctions implementation.
Malley provided a classified briefing for members at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, appearing via a secure video link from Vienna, where talks over a return to the deal resumed this week. A representative for the lead Republican on the committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, declined to provide additional details.
Biden’s top Iran envoy will next appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday following a public pressure campaign by Democratic Chairman Bob Menendez.
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In remarks last week lasting nearly an hour, the New Jersey senator urged greater pressure on Tehran and questioned the purpose of the negotiations.
“What exactly are we trying to salvage?” asked Menendez, who opposed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and has called repeatedly for Malley to testify before the committee.
The State Department did not respond to a request for comment on the hearing, including whether Malley had spoken with the White House either before or after the event.
Last week, officials moved to defend a decision to loosen some U.S. sanctions on foreign countries and businesses working in Iran’s civilian nuclear sector, drawing rebuke. The waivers were necessary to bring on board U.S. partners, Washington said, and they had been granted by the Trump administration until May 2020. And Biden’s push to rejoin the pact came under scrutiny last month after two top officials departed the negotiations after pushing for a tougher stance. Malley has also been subject to scrutiny over the years.
New York Rep. Claudia Tenney, a Republican who attended the House briefing on Tuesday, said Malley’s appearance was welcome but unsatisfactory in answering questions over sanctions enforcement on Tehran.
“Before today, Rob Malley had yet to appear before the full Foreign Affairs Committee, either publicly or in private, to answer our questions and explain to the American people why sanctions are not being fully enforced on Iran. This briefing unfortunately left me with more questions than answers,” Tenney told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
Tenney also called for a full public hearing, urging greater transparency.
“While it was a start, it is still not enough. Rob Malley works for the American people, and he needs to answer to them as well,” Tenney added. “That’s why I’m continuing to press for a full, public hearing. On a matter as important to our national security as a nuclear Iran, maximum transparency is the only path forward.”
During the Trump administration, then-Iran envoy Brian Hook briefed Congress numerous times.
The Biden administration has warned that Tehran must decide now whether to resurrect the 2015 agreement or face escalating economic and diplomatic pressures in response.
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A senior administration official said Tehran may soon reach a point where enough fissile material could be produced for a nuclear bomb, though it would still need to master additional steps to create a viable weapon.
More than 100 House Republicans urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to withdraw from the Vienna talks and increase pressure on Iran by fully enforcing sanctions in a January letter.
