Iran confronts US negotiators over GOP senators’ letter

Iranian negotiators at talks over Tehran’s nuclear program confronted representatives of the United States about a letter written by Senate Republicans that said that Congress could nix any deal once President Obama leaves office, The Associated Press reported Monday.

The letter reportedly came up in discussions on Sunday and again on Monday. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif attended the Monday session.

The content of the discussion over the message from the Senate GOP was not disclosed.

{mosads}The letter, spearheaded by freshman Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.) and signed by 47 other Senate Republicans, was addressed to the Iranian leadership.

The message quickly drew the ire of Obama administration officials, Iranian leaders and congressional Democrats.

“You don’t diminish your office by taking a selfie,” President Obama said, referencing a criticism some have leveled at him during his comical speech at this weekend’s Gridiron Dinner. “You do it by sending a poorly written letter to Iran. Really. That wasn’t a joke.”

Democrats have accused the Republican senators of trying to undermine the president during the negotiations, in a way they say is unprecedented.

Zarif had his own criticism of the letter, saying it “has no legal value and is mostly a propaganda ploy.”