TEHRAN—Agence France Presse reports that Iran’s foreign minister has posted to Facebook to say Tehran condemns the World War II Nazi massacre of the Jews, a definite rebuke to former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. ‘We condemn the massacre of Jews by the Nazis, and we condemn the massacre of Palestinians by the Zionists,’ Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Facebook page, where he published the text of an interview he gave to the Tasnim news agency. When asked if he had wished Jews ‘Happy Rosh Hashanah’ and had an exchange about the Holocaust on Twitter, he wrote, ‘I replied to a question from a person who appeared to be the daughter of the ex-speaker of the US House of Representatives.’ On Twitter account, Zarif tweeted in English ‘Happy Rosh Hashanah,’ and Christine Pelosi replied, thanking him.

‘Thanks. The new year would be even sweeter if you would end Iran’s Holocaust denial, sir,’ she wrote.Zarif replied: ‘Iran never denied it (the Holocaust). The man who was perceived to be denying it is now gone. Happy New Year.’

Iranian President, Hasan Rouhani, also tweeted Rosh Hashanah greetings to the Jews of the world on Erev Rosh Hashanah. ‘As the sun is about to set here in #Tehran I wish all Jews, especially Iranian Jews, a blessed Rosh Hashanah. pic.twitter.com/tmaf84x7UR— Hassan Rouhani (_HassanRouhani) September 4, 2013‘

“I am not impressed by greetings coming from a regime that only last week threatened to destroy Israel,” Netanyahu said when he found out about it.

The new Iranian administration has tasked the foreign ministry with handling sensitive nuclear talks, in a possible signal of a less confrontational approach with world powers. That seems to indicate that Zarif, a moderate who has lived in the West and negotiated with it, would take on the role personally.’Every year we wish happy new year to our Christian compatriots,’ Zarif told Tasnim.’We also have a Jewish minority that is represented in parliament by one deputy,’ he said. ‘We have nothing against Jews and Judaism, but we do not allow Zionists to present Iran as being anti-Semitic and bellicose in their propaganda so they can continue to repress the Palestinian people… and have their crimes forgotten,’ he added.