Representatives from approximately 30 countries walked out of a session at the UN when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a speech describing Israel as "racist". His speech included accusations that migrant American and European Jews helped Palestine create a "cruel and repressive racist regime".

In a move that is another example of the new U.S. administration's optimistic approach to international relations, President Barack Obama has published Nowruz greetings to the people of Iran. The video will no doubt be a source of heated discussions in some circles, as anti-Iranian sentiments are still strong after years of nuclear fearmongering and the lack of understanding of how a nation's leader does not always represent the general attitude of the people towards the U.S.