Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif condemned the “Nazi massacre of the Jews” in a Facebook status in Farsi on Friday, marking a significant departure from the Holocaust-denying approach of the Iranian regime during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“We condemn the massacre of Jews by the Nazis, and we condemn the massacre of Palestinians by the Zionists,” he wrote.

This past week has seen a flurry of social media activity surrounding statements by Iranian officials that could be perceived as taking a more conciliatory tone after Ahmadinejad’s turbulent eight years in office. Ahmadinejad’s anti-Israel, anti-Semitic remarks prompted repeated international outcries — especially in the West

On Thursday, Zarif tweeted “Happy Rosh Hashanah,” in English to the amazement of the Western eyes.

He then followed up with an exchange with the daughter of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, clarifying that any Holocaust denial was done by a man who is “now gone.”

“Every year we wish happy new year to our Christian compatriots,” Zarif told the Tasnim news agency following the Facebook post.

“We also have a Jewish minority that is represented in parliament by one deputy,” he said.

“We have nothing against Jews and Judaism, but we do not allow Zionists to present Iran as being anti-Semitic and bellicose in their propaganda so they can continue to repress the Palestinian people… and have their crimes forgotten,” he added.

On Thursday, the recently elected president of Iran, Hasan Rouhani, who is considered moderate and has promised more dialogue with the West, confirmed that the Foreign Ministry will lead nuclear talks with world powers in a shift away from security officials setting Tehran’s strategies for the critical negotiations.

Thursday’s report on the website of Rouhani’s office gives the official stamp on a policy change first indicated last month after his inauguration.

It makes Zarif, a veteran, Western-educated diplomat, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator.

On Wednesday, Jews around the world received an unexpected holiday greeting from semi-official account of President Rouhani, who said, “As the sun is about to set here in #Tehran I wish all Jews, especially Iranian Jews, a blessed Rosh Hashanah.”

That account then tweeted a link to a Rosh Hashanah message in Farsi.

According to Al Jazeera, the tweet attributed to Mr Rouhani wished Jews a blessed Rosh Hashanah and was accompanied by a picture of an Iranian Jew praying at a Tehran synagogue. Observers say the account has semi-official status and is kept active by Mr Rouhani’s supporters with his consent.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-foreign-minister-condemns-holocaust/

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/5/iran-leaders-offerwellwishesonroshhashanah.html

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