In a video on Thursday, President Obama wished Iran and its emigrants worldwide a happy Nowruz, the Persian new year, and showed off his Persian language skills. But the main point of the video is a direct appeal to Iranian citizens, especially younger ones, to support the tentative nuclear deal Tehran is negotiating with the U.S. and other world powers.
The White House believes that Iran's younger generation "cares little about Iran's nuclear capability and desperately wants access to the West, its culture, and its universities," The New York Times reports, so Obama focused on those areas. A nuclear deal would lead to "more foreign investment and jobs, including for young Iranians," he said. "More cultural exchanges and chances for Iranian students to travel abroad. More partnerships in areas like science and technology and innovation."
"In other words, a nuclear deal now can open the door to a brighter future for you, the Iranian people," Obama concluded. "This is what's at stake today, and this moment may not come again soon." Watch Obama make his pitch for peace, and recite poetry, below. —Peter Weber
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