Iran's top leaders praise spirit of Christmas

Rouhani on Tuesday retweeted two tweets, one by Iran’s supreme leader and one by its foreign minister, that focused on the spirit of Christmas.

The tweets appear to be a part of a continuing effort by Rouhani to put a friendlier face toward the West. The new Iranian president earlier this year became the first president of his country in decades to speak to a U.S. president on the phone, and the two sides in November agreed to an interim nuclear deal the Obama administration has hailed as a significant breakthrough.

Skeptics, including Israel, argue it is a mistake to believe in Rouhani, who they note ran Iran’s nuclear program for years.