Twitter CEO Wants All Iranians to Enjoy Their President’s Tweets

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Hassan-rouhani

President Hassan Rouhani, of Iran, addresses the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters on Sept. 25, 2014.
Image: Richard Drew/Associated Press

Twitter diplomacy is back.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani spoke at the United Nations on Thursday, during which time his social media team practically live-tweeted his remarks. Not that any of his fellow countrymen could read them, as Twitter has been blocked in Iran since 2009.

Responding to the tweet barrage, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo told Rouhani that he’d love Iranians to enjoy their president’s tweets, and asked him when will that happen.

While Twitter has been blocked in Iran since 2009, many Iranian officials, including Rouhani and Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, use the microblogging platform to tweet messages in English.

The irony is not lost on anyone, and Costolo is not the first one from Twitter to call out Rouhani on the issue.

In October of last year, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey asked Rouhani pointedly if his citizens were able to read his tweets, prompting Rouhani to respond.

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Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/09/25/twitter-dick-costolo-rouhani-iran/

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