Alwaght- Iran's Foreign Ministry has mocked an attempt by three US lawmakers to visit Iran to monitor the country's elections as well as its compliance with 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and Eu+3.
Following three Republican congressmen visa request, the office of Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif issued a statement on Tuesday saying, " n the modern era, visits to sites or parliamentary or other delegations to monitor elections are made upon invitations and through bilateral agreements between sovereign states or based on reciprocal arrangements, and not upon unilateral demands by self-arrogating individuals or parliamentarians. It bears reminding that Iran and the United States do not have diplomatic relations, and as such, there are no reciprocal monitoring arrangements between the two countries".
Referring to newly enacted visa waiver program for individuals who have traveled to Iran, Zarif's office added" Surely it is ironic that you believe that going to Iran would "radicalize" and turn citizens of all other countries into "potential security risks" for the United States; but you still seek to visit Iran and believe that such a visit will have no such radicalizing effect on you".
“In sum, we consider your visa request to have been a publicity stunt and not an appropriate request to visit a sovereign country; and it has, and will continue to be, treated in that spirit,” said read the statement.
In February, three GOP congressmen, Mike Pompeo, Lee Zeldin, and Frank LoBiondo, requested to travel to Iran. All three were vigorous opponents of Iran's nuclear agreement and spared no effort to kill the deal in US congress.
“Despite what you seem to presume, members of the US Congress do not get to dictate the policies of other countries. This clearly applies to Iranian visa policies. Bear in mind that as members of the US Congress you are not a global authority."
The letter noted that according to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “is the sole body competent for monitoring” the implementation of the agreement’s nuclear provisions.
Pompeo claimed that" My two congressional colleagues and I followed all the necessary procedures", but Iran's foreign ministry believes that the three American officials have made their request "in the completely inappropriate manner.
"From the time when the manufactured "nuclear crisis" has been settled through the JCPOA, tens of thousands of tourists, academics, investors, students and businesspeople from around the world - including many Americans - have obtained visas and travelled to Iran without any delay or complication. But they 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. We doubt that any self-respecting country would grant a visa under such circumstances."
After Iran and EU+3 – France, Britain, Germany plus China, Russia, and the US – started implementing the JCPOA on January 16, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council, and the US were lifted. Iran, in return, has put some limitations on its nuclear activities. The nuclear agreement was signed on July 14, 2015 following nearly a decade of on-and-off intensive talks.
