Iran's Leaders Get Into The Christmas Spirit (Yes, Iran's)

Iran’s top leaders are getting into the Christmas spirit.

On Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani retweeted a pair of Christmas-themed tweets, one from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and another from Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. The tweets focused on the compassionate spirit of Christmas and on Jesus Christ, who is considered a prophet in Islam.

Since Rouhani took office this year, he has attempted to put a friendlier face on relations with the United States. For decades, the relationship between the two nations has been strained. Earlier in the year, Rouhani became the first Iranian president to speak to a U.S. president in decades, and in November, Iran and the international community agreed to a temporary nuclear deal, praised as a breakthrough by many.

Rouhani’s retweets can also be seen as a continuing sign of his push for better U.S.-Iran relations. Rouhani himself did not make any Christmas-related statements, but on Monday he sent out a series of tweets affirming his commitment to better relationships with the U.S.

While Rouhani is working toward putting a friendlier face on foreign relations, Ayatollah Khamenei isn’t so focused on winning the hearts and minds of Americans. Despite his tweets praising Christ on Christmas Eve, Khamenei has also tweeted out several statements condemning the United States, Israel and Zionists on Human Rights Day two weeks ago.