EU visit to Tehran angers U.S. lawmakers

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- European leaders angered U.S. lawmakers with a decision to visit Tehran as Iran claims it received a request by U.S. Sen. John Kerry to visit the country.

An 11-member team from the European Parliament is set to visit Tehran next week, marking the first Western visit to Iran in more than a year.

A letter to European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek signed by 15 bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives slammed the decision, saying it would legitimize the Iranian government amid nuclear concerns and mounting social upheaval, The Wall Street Journal reports.

"We urge you not to authorize the visit at this time," the bipartisan letter read.

Washington last week, however, said it would support Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, should he decide to make a trip to Tehran.

A spokesman for Kerry downplayed the rumors, though Iranian news agencies said Tehran received a request from Kerry's office to visit the country.

German lawmaker Kurt Lechner leads the 15-member European team to Iran next week to discuss foreign relations. He said two previous trips were canceled by Iranian authorities at the last minute.

"I will be very interested to see whether this visit is also canceled," he said.