Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are asking Secretary of State Marco Rubio to clarify whether public statements made by the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, reflect the official position of the American government.

The intervention comes through a letter currently circulating in Congress for signatures. The letter focuses on the possibility of renewed cooperation between Washington and Ankara regarding the F-35 program, as well as Barrack’s statements concerning the role of Hezbollah on the Lebanese front.

Specifically, the lawmakers argue that the ambassador’s remarks create ambiguity regarding Washington’s stance on issues directly connected to U.S. legislation, NATO security, and the regional balance in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean.

The first part of the letter concerns Turkey and the F-35 program. The lawmakers point out that Congress has already imposed strict conditions following Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system. In this context, they are asking the State Department to explain whether there has been any change in U.S. policy or whether the restrictions established by law remain fully in force.

Within this framework, they are requesting clarification on how the sanctions mandated under CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) are being applied in Turkey’s case, and what steps Ankara would need to take before its participation in the American fighter jet program could be reconsidered.

The lawmakers emphasize that Turkey has not yet met the key conditions established under U.S. law. These include removing the S-400 systems, committing not to acquire similar Russian systems in the future, and confirming that no additional Russian defense systems have been received.

The second part of the letter concerns Tom Barrack’s comments regarding Lebanon, Israel, and Hezbollah. Here too, lawmakers are asking the State Department to clarify whether it considers statements that appear to place Israel and Hezbollah on the same footing to be consistent with official U.S. policy.

Ambassador Tom Barrack made the remarks in question at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. During a panel discussion, he described the ceasefire in Lebanon as extremely fragile and argued that two critical factors were missing from the equation: Hezbollah and Iran. He also stated that there should be a process of dialogue or political management involving Hezbollah, which, he said, should not aim at its elimination.