Iran’s Rosh Hashana Twitter diplomacy stirs amazement, disbelief
Posted on September 5, 2013 by Laura Rozen
Iran’s new Foreign Minister Javad Zarif joined President Hassan Rouhani in tweeting “Happy Rosh Hashanah” greetings Thursday, on the occasion of the Jewish new year’s holiday, setting off a new wave of amazement, and some disbelief, in both the social media and policy universes.
Separately, Rouhani on Thursday announced that the Iran nuclear negotiating file has been moved to the Foreign Ministry from the Supreme National Security Council.
Foreign Ministry will be in charge of Iran's #Nuclear Negotiations.Ready for constructive interaction with the world http://www.president.ir/fa/
The State Department said Thursday
that it had seen the reports on the nuclear file transfer to the
foreign ministry, and reiterated its hope for swift, substantive
engagement leading to a diplomatic resolution with Iran over its nuclear
program. Nuclear negotiations are expected to be discussed in New York
on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this month, that
both Zarif and Rouhani will attend. Zarif is expected to hold meetings
there with chief international nuclear negotiator, European Union
foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, British Foreign Minister William
Hague, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Iranian media
reported Thursday.
The stunning exchange of direct Twitter diplomacy from Tehran that began Wednesday with Rouhani wishing Jews everywhere a blessed Rosh Hashanah
has set off amazement in the social media universe. It has also
revealed a deep vein of wariness and mistrust, that remain a legacy of
former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial and
threats to Israel, and the avowed hostility between Israel and Iran.
The
outreach from Rouhani and Zarif, particularly to the Jewish people,
signals the “most significant public diplomacy outreach since the
revolution,” journalist Robin Wright said Thursday on Twitter. “It signals intent for a serious [diplomatic[ effort, even if issues [are] no easier.”
Zarif’s
Rosh Hashana greetings–only his second tweet since opening an account
(@JZarif) earlier this week that has still not been officially
verified–soon led to a stunning Twitter exchange with Christine Pelosi
(@sfpelosi), the daughter of ranking House Democrat Nancy Pelosi, about
Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial.
Thanks. The New Year would be even sweeter if you would end Iran's Holocaust denial, sir. “@JZarif: Happy Rosh Hashanah”@sfpelosi Iran never denied it. The man who was perceived to be denying it is now gone. Happy New Year.
Christine Pelosi also tweeted about the exchange and posted a screen shot of it:
Interesting #RoshHashanah exchange on #twitter today ... How's your 5774 so far? pic.twitter.com/GTOEEokYRb
CNN’s Christian Amanpour and journalist Robin Wright
subsequently reported on Twitter that they had separately been in
direct contact with Zarif and he confirmed that it is he himself
tweeting:
Just spoke with Iranian FM @JZarif - who confirms he IS tweeting and wishes Jews in Iran & around the world a happy new year! -- Ditto!
The
rare and unusually direct Twitter diplomacy between Iranian leaders and
western policy observers “will go down in history,” one Hill staffer,
speaking not for attribution, said Thursday,
expressing the wider sense of amazement heard from many veteran Iran
watchers at the display of tolerance and public diplomacy initiative
coming from Tehran.
The
welcome change in atmospherics has added to hopes for a diplomatic
opening created by Rouhani’s election. But it must be accompanied by
substantive progress in nuclear negotiations to lead to a broader easing
of ties, western analysts and officials said.
“The
inauguration of President Rouhani presents an opportunity for Iran to
act quickly to resolve the international community’s deep concerns over
Iran’s nuclear program,” State Department spokesman Jen Psaki said in a
statement Thursday.
“Should this new government choose to engage substantively and
seriously to meet its international obligations and find a peaceful
solution to this issue, it will find a willing partner in the United
States.”
In
Israel, the statements were also getting media attention, and may boost
Rouhani’s image as a moderate, Iranian-born Israeli analyst Meir
Javedanfar said.
While
“I don’t think [the statements] can interpreted as a sign of policy
change from the Iranian government towards Israel,” Javedanfar wrote, they are “likely to have a positive impact, albeit a limited one on the way the Iranian regime is seen in Israel.”
“I
think these two guys [Rouhani and Zarif] might honestly try to reflect a
different Iran,” an Israeli official, speaking not for attribution,
told Al-Monitor Thursday.
“The problem is that [Supreme Leader Ayatollah] Khamenei and The
Revolutionary Guards are still in command and haven’t showed any sign of
changing their priorities,” including “nuclear weaponry, [and]
supporting terror in the region.”
(Photo of a man praying at an Iranian synagogue and posted to Twitter by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accompanying a Rosh Hashanah greeting on Wednesday September 4, 2013.)
This entry was posted in Politics, Security and tagged @HassanRouhani, @JZarif, Ahmadinejad, Catherine Ashton, Christian Amanpour, Christine Pelosi, diplomacy, EU, Hassan Rouhani, IAEA, Iran, Israel, Javad Zarif, Jen Psaki, Meir Javedanfar, Nancy Pelosi, nuclear., P5+1, Robin Wright, Rosh Hashanah, State Department, William Hague by Laura Rozen. Bookmark the permalink.
Read more: http://backchannel.al-monitor.
Read more: http://backchannel.al-monitor.
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