US Starts Farsi Twitter Account Aimed at Iranians

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. State Department has begun sending Twitter messages in Farsi in the hopes of reaching social media users in Iran.

On the Twitter account, USA darFarsi, the department tells Iranians, "We want to join in your conversation."

The second and third tweets are more pointed. The State Department accuses Iran's government of illegalizing dissent while praising Egyptian protesters for the same activities.

The U.S. then calls on Iran "to allow people to enjoy same universal rights to peacefully assemble, demonstrate as in Cairo."

Last week, the State Department launched an Arabic Twitter feed in an effort to communicate with the Egyptian protesters who eventually brought about the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.