January 03-2014
The mother of Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif died December 27. The State Department’s Farsi-speaking spokesman, Alan Eyre, extended official condolences on his Facebook page and by Twitter. He wrote that he learned of Efat Kashani’s death with the “deepest regret.” Eyre’s message is a rare—and perhaps unique—use of social media to communicate with a foreign official.