Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday told reporters at the World Economic Forum that his "friends" write his English-language Facebook and Twitter posts.
Rouhani's English language social media presence has been inclusive, approachable and seemingly designed to build a new Western perception of Iran. Since his election in June, 2013, the president's account has tweeted 2,465 times as of Thursday morning, and he's garnered more than 170,000 followers, at least in part due to the account's messages of religious inclusion and diplomatic cooperation.
See also: Who's Tweeting for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani?
As the sun is about to set here in #Tehran I wish all Jews, especially Iranian Jews, a blessed Rosh Hashanah. pic.twitter.com/tmaf84x7UR
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) September 4, 2013
Felicitations to @Pontifex on birthday of Christ, Prophet of love, mercy & friendship. Hoping for new year filled with peace & prosperity.
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) December 25, 2013
We've had history of deep economic&trade ties w/ EU states. W/ implementation of Geneva Agreement, Iran's relations w/ Europe will normalize
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 23, 2014
It turns out, though, that Rouhani doesn't write his own tweets. People have suspected as much for months, but the Iranian president confirmed this at the World Economic Forum on Thursday.
That said, Rouhani clearly endorses the general tone of his social media presence. He has helped ingratiate his country with the rest of the world in the months since his election, putting into action the forward-looking nature of his social media presence. In November, Iran struck a temporary deal with several world powers that would ease international sanctions on the country in exchange for a pause in its nuclear program. The nations now have just under six months to complete a more permanent agreement.
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