Accessibility links

Breaking News
USA

Trump Sends Holiday Greetings to Iranians


Iranian youths, wearing red clothes and black makeup as a symbol of the Iranian New Year, sing and play tambourine at Tajrish square in northern Tehran, Iran, ahead of the Iranian New Year, or Nowruz, meaning "new day," March 18, 2017.
Iranian youths, wearing red clothes and black makeup as a symbol of the Iranian New Year, sing and play tambourine at Tajrish square in northern Tehran, Iran, ahead of the Iranian New Year, or Nowruz, meaning "new day," March 18, 2017.

President Donald Trump, who has sought to ban travelers from Iran and other Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States, issued a holiday greeting Wednesday to Iranians celebrating the New Year holiday known as Nowruz.

Trump, who has also criticized the nuclear deal between Iran and Western powers negotiated during President Barack Obama's administration, did not refer to the travel ban in his statement.

"Nowruz means 'new day' in Persian. It is an occasion to celebrate new beginnings, a sentiment that is particularly meaningful for so many Iranians who have come to our country in recent decades to make a new start in a free land," Trump said in a statement issued by the White House.

A flower seller picks flower for his customer at Tajrish traditional bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, ahead of the Iranian New Year, or Nowruz, meaning "new day," March 18, 2017.
A flower seller picks flower for his customer at Tajrish traditional bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, ahead of the Iranian New Year, or Nowruz, meaning "new day," March 18, 2017.

Nowruz is Iran's most important national event and is celebrated with family gatherings, vacations and gift-giving. "For many years, I have greatly enjoyed wonderful friendships with Iranian-Americans, one of the most successful immigrant groups in our country's contemporary history," he said.

Trump has taken a hard line on immigration, both as a presidential candidate and since taking office. He tried twice with executive orders to prevent people from several Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the United States, and he has promised to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.

The latest order sought a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. A federal judge struck down parts of the ban on the day it was set to go into effect. Trump's administration has said it will appeal.

  • 16x9 Image

    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

XS
SM
MD
LG