Obama Video Message Reaches Out to Iranians

JAY SOLOMON

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama appealed directly to the Iranian government and its people to forge a new relationship with the U.S. in a sign of his administration's intensifying efforts to use diplomacy to end Tehran's nuclear program and support of Middle East-based militant groups.

Mr. Obama sent a videotaped message Friday to the people of Iran marking the celebration of Nowruz, a Persian holiday signaling the arrival of spring. He said in his message that the festivities could mark a "new day" of relations between Washington and Tehran if Iran's leadership seized on his overtures for engagement.

"My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community," Mr. Obama said in the message. "This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect."

The White House said the video with Farsi subtitles is being given to select news outlets with reach in the region, under an embargo to air at 8 a.m. Iran time. At the same time, the video will be available online in English with Farsi captions.

Whitehouse.gov

President Barack Obama appeals to the Iranian government and people to forge a new relationship with the U.S. This WSJ screengrab from Whitehouse.gov/Nowruz shows a frame from Obama's video address, with Persian subtitles.

Mr. Obama campaigned on a platform of engaging American adversaries, such as Iran, Syria and Russia, in a bid to stabilize many of the region's hot spots. Since taking office, he has taken increasingly direct steps to forge a dialogue with Tehran that has largely been frozen since an Islamist movement overthrew the U.S.-backed Shah in 1979.

In recent weeks, Mr. Obama's government has invited the Iranian government to an international conference on Afghanistan that is to be convened in the Netherlands on March 31. U.S. diplomats are also joining Iranian diplomats at a Russian conference on Central Asia next week in Moscow. According to American officials, Mr. Obama's administration is considering lifting a 40-year ban on most contacts between American and Iranian diplomats.

"So on the occasion of your New Year, I want you, the people and leaders of Iran, to understand the future that we seek," Mr. Obama said. "It's a future with renewed exchanges among our people, and greater opportunities for partnership and commerce. It's a future where the old divisions are overcome."