WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump has sent congratulations to mark Norouz, the Persian New Year, passing on good wishes to "all those around the world celebrating the wonderful ancient holiday."
In a March 22 statement released by the White House, Trump wished "freedom, dignity, and wealth" to "the Iranian people and all those around the world celebrating" Norouz.
Trump made his fierce criticism of the Iranian government a central pillar of the 2016 presidential campaign that brought him into the White House through the November election.
Throughout the campaign he vowed to either tear up or renegotiate the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that lifted some sanctions against Tehran in exchange for curbs on the nuclear program.
Iranian citizens were also included in controversial executive orders aimed at temporarily barring U.S. entry to travelers from several predominantly Muslim countries.
In his March 22 statement, Trump called Norouz "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."
IN PICTURES: Happy Norouz! Welcoming The Persian New Year (click to enter photo gallery)
Happy Norouz! Welcoming The Persian New Year
1/10Iraqi Kurds mark Norouz with a torch-lit procession up a mountain above the town of Aqrah, some 100 kilometers east of Mosul.
Norouz, the traditional Persian new year's celebration, heralds the arrival of spring throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.
2/10The torch-lit procession snakes up the mountainside.
Norouz, the traditional Persian new year's celebration, heralds the arrival of spring throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.
3/10An Afghan girl looks out a window at Norouz festivities happening in the courtyard of the Hazrat-e-Ali Shrine in Mazar-e Sharif.
Norouz, the traditional Persian new year's celebration, heralds the arrival of spring throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.
4/10A Kurdish woman dances around a bonfire in the Turkish town of Diyarbakir on March 21.
Norouz, the traditional Persian new year's celebration, heralds the arrival of spring throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.
5/10A column of cotton candy offers a flash of color to the landscape of Kabul, Afghanistan, during Norouz festivities on March 21.
Norouz, the traditional Persian new year's celebration, heralds the arrival of spring throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.
6/10Young Azerbaijani musicians take part in Norouz celebrations in central Tbilisi on March 21.
Norouz, the traditional Persian new year's celebration, heralds the arrival of spring throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.
7/10Locals gather around a bonfire as the torch procession winds up a hill above Aqrah, in northern Iraq, on March 20.
Norouz, the traditional Persian new year's celebration, heralds the arrival of spring throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.
8/10Kurdish women dance during Norouz celebrations in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, on March 21.
Norouz, the traditional Persian new year's celebration, heralds the arrival of spring throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.
9/10Crowds around a bonfire during the celebrations in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on March 21.
Norouz, the traditional Persian new year's celebration, heralds the arrival of spring throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.
10/10Goldfish for sale on a Tehran street on March 17. The fish are a frequent feature of Norouz holiday displays known as "haftsin."
Norouz, the traditional Persian new year's celebration, heralds the arrival of spring throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.
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