Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has taken to Twitter to send holiday greetings to Christians all over the world, saying that “the birth of [the] Spirit of God – Jesus, revered by Muslims as a great prophet – is a joyous occasion for ALL mankind.”
Zarif’s greeting is by no means unusual, with Iranian officials going back all the way to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, issuing similar messages in the past.
The messages are not always taken in their intended spirit, however, with perplexed readers, mostly in the US and other Western countries, regularly expressing their confusion over the greetings.
The comments under Zarif’s tweet show this year was no different.
Others, however, reciprocated the greetings.