“The odds of making it past the front door? I’d say it’s 60-40,” says Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kansas. “To actually get to the Iranian Interest Section? Low single digits.” Pompeo is in the back of a black SUV cruising past the National Mall in Washington, on his way to the Pakistani Embassy. Since Iran doesn’t have diplomatic relations with the U.S., it maintains a small office in the Pakistani embassy to conduct any official international business that might be needed. Along for the ride are Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., and Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-New Jersey. Between the three men, they sit on three important congressional committees: Armed Services, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs.

The three congressmen have a simple goal—they want to travel to Tehran to witness the country’s allegedly democratic elections on February 26, as well as investigate what’s happening there now that the U.S. and Iran have entered into a nuclear deal that is allegedly thawing relations. Of course, traveling to Iran as an American is not exactly easy. For one thing, the hardline Iranian government needs to approve your visa. And so each congressman is traveling to the Iranian Interest Section to present the detailed paperwork for their visa application.