The US State Department has launched a Twitter feed in Farsi, in a bid to spread its message more effectively in Iran, dpa reported.
"The US State Department recognizes the historic role of social media among Iranians in the world now. We want to join in your conversations," the State Department said in its initial tweet on its new USAdarFarsi Twitter account on Sunday.
Later tweets blasted the government of Iran for refusing to allow peaceful demonstrations.
The new communications channel debuted at a time of growing unrest throughout the Middle East, aided by ever-growing internet use, which has given unprecedented access to uncensored news and social media tools for instant communications and organization.
Last week, the State Department launched a Twitter feed in Arabic, with the same basic message it sent to Iranians. The Arabic feed garnered more than 1,000 followers within days, while the Farsi account seemed to be far more popular.
Called USAdarFarsi, it had garnered more than 2,000 followers within hours of its launch, during which it posted several tweets comparing Iran's policies unfavourably with developments in Egypt.
"Iran has shown that the activities it praised Egyptians for it sees as illegal, illegitimate for its own people," said one message, while another read "US calls on Iran to allow people to enjoy same universal rights to peacefully assemble, demonstrate as in Cairo."