Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul has slammed the US State Department for <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2023/07/10/deadline-looms-for-state-department-to-provide-details-on-robert-malleys-case/" target="_blank">declining to provide</a> more details about why it placed the<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/the-americas/who-is-joe-biden-s-iran-envoy-robert-malley-1.1156065"> special envoy for Iran</a> on leave. President Joe Biden's administration responded this week to Mr McCaul's <a href="https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/6-30-23-McCaul-Letter-to-Blinken-Robert-Malley.pdf" target="_blank">request</a> for information on Robert Malley's leave of absence pending a review of his security clearance. Officials said “the department is not in a position to provide further documents or information related to this personnel-security clearance matter”. A representative for the Republican chairman's office told <i>The National</i> on Wednesday that Mr McCaul plans to formally request a classified briefing with the State Department this week, as he believes the matter is “urgent”. In a statement on Tuesday, Mr McCaul called the department's response to his June request “absolutely unacceptable”. “Congress deserves to know exactly why the US special envoy to Iran had his security clearance suspended … This is a person whose mission is to negotiate with the Islamic Republic of Iran – nothing could be more serious than this,” the statement read. Washington <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2023/06/30/robert-malley-iran-leave/" target="_blank">confirmed</a> Mr Malley's suspension last month, right after <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2023/06/12/us-iran-talks-took-place-in-oman-tehran-says/">US officials travelled to Oman</a> to engage in indirect walks with Tehran, according to Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman. That increase in engagement after nuclear deal talks stalled sparked rumours that the two countries may be close to an informal agreement on Iran's nuclear ambitions. The State Department letter, signed by assistant secretary for the Bureau of Legislative Affairs Naz Durakoglu, added that it was working on identifying “responsive information or records that may be appropriately provided to the committee given the sensitivity associated with that category of information”. News outlet <i>Semafor </i>reported that the FBI had opened an investigation into Mr Malley's handling of classified information. The FBI declined to comment.