Obama's Nowruz Message: Opening a New Path for Old Enemies May Be Possible

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, in a Nowruz message on the occasion of the beginning of the Persian New Year 1395, released on Saturday, referred to his upcoming visit to Cuba and suggested that a renewal of relations between Iran and the U.S. may also be possible. In this video message, which has become a tradition for the White House during his presidency, Mr. Obama congratulated all Iranians on the start of the Persian New Year and wished them health and prosperity. According to the U.S. President, even after 'decades of distrust' among old enemies on the global stage, it is still possible to open a new path between them and begin a new relationship. Barack Obama, referring to his upcoming trip to Havana, Cuba's capital, which will take place on Sunday afternoon, told the people of Iran that this trip 'seemed unbelievable' a few months ago. This will be the first visit by a U.S. President to Cuba in nearly 80 years. In the beginning of his Nowruz message for the year 1395, Barack Obama reviewed months of negotiations between Islamic Republic officials and global powers that ultimately led to the nuclear agreement in the summer of 1394. He noted the historic nuclear agreement between Iran and global powers and the implementation of key commitments by Iran under the JCPOA, stating that it may take some time for the Iranian people to feel the benefits of the lifting of sanctions in their daily lives, but these benefits are undeniable. According to him, Iran now has the opportunity to return to the global economy, which means more trade and investment in the country and access to modern technologies. In part of his message, the U.S. President said: 'The goal of the nuclear agreement was never to solve all the problems between our two countries, and the United States still has fundamental disagreements with the Iranian government. However, even though our governments still have fundamental disagreements, the fact that we are talking regularly for the first time in decades gives us an opportunity to address other issues.' Mr. Obama expressed hope that friendship and communication between the people of Iran and the United States would continue to grow.