The Iranian government has declined to permit a delegation of U.S. congressmen into the country to monitor the Islamic Republic’s compliance with last summer’s nuclear agreement, informing the lawmakers in a sharply worded letter that no U.S. persons are permitted under the agreement to monitor Iran’s compliance, according to a copy of the communication obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
Iran informed three leading members of Congress in a letter sent to the State Department last week that their request for travel visas into Iran will be denied on the grounds that no U.S. citizen or official has the right to inspect Iran’s contested nuclear sites, according to a copy of Iran’s response letter obtained by the Free Beacon.
Reps. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.), Lee Zelden (R., N.Y.), and Frank LoBiondo (R., N.J.) have been trying for months to obtain travel visas to Iran so they can meet with American hostages and inspect Iran’s nuclear sites to ensure compliance with the nuclear accord.
Iranian officials stalled the effort for months and missed their own self-imposed deadline by which they vowed to respond to the request. On June 2, Iranian officials officially informed the State Department they are denying the travel request, according to the letter.
“Despite what you seem to presume, members of the U.S. Congress do not get to dictate the policies of other countries,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry wrote in a letter. “This clearly applies to Iranian visa policies. Bear in mind that as members of the U.S. Congress you are not a global authority.”
Iran is not permitting any participant in last summer’s nuclear agreement to inspect the country’s nuclear sites to ensure compliance with the deal.