TEHRAN - As a retaliation Tehran should facilitate the travel of citizens from the 38 countries which are subject to the U.S. visa restrictions, the director of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism has suggested.

Last week the U.S. Congress passed a law that lifts visa waiver for the people of 38 countries, including Europeans, who have visited Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria since 2011.

Masoud Soltanifar said the new law will not affect Iran’s economy very much since the affected tourists made up only 162 thousand of the five million people that visited Iran last year.

Iranian leaders complained in recent days that the new requirements contradict elements of the landmark nuclear deal reached earlier this year with Iran, the U.S. and five world powers, under which Iran must curb its nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions. The agreement also committed the signing nations to refrain from policies adversely affecting normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran.

In response, Secretary of State John Kerry offered assurances in a letter to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif that the new rules would not impact legitimate Iranian business interests and suggested they could be waived.

Kerry’s remarks has set rift among Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Top GOP lawmakers accused the Obama administration on Wednesday of ignoring congressional intent and the spirit of the law in offering reassurances to Iran about new visa rules.

“There is no ambiguity,” said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California. “The administration should follow the law as written and agreed to.”

SP/PA