Iran’s Javad Zarif has told a meeting of Foreign Ministry media and public diplomacy constitute an important component of power in today’s world.

As negotiators from Iran and the P5+1 nations meet behind closed doors in Vienna in a final push for a comprehensive nuclear deal, a separate round of negotiations is taking place online. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, traded accusations, praise, and hopeful words in advance of the final round of nuclear negotiations. The two sparred in a pair of op-eds published in the The Washington Post (Kerry) and Le Monde (Zarif), and in a video Zarif made available on YouTube. 

Italy’s Emma Bonino was the first EU foreign minister to make an official visit to Tehran after Iran and the six powers signed an interim agreement on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. She landed in Tehran on December 21 after years when Western foreign ministers refused to set foot in the Iranian capital.

Iran is a country of many contradictions. You have have heard that before. Unrelated men and women aren't allowed to mingle freely, yet they find a way to do so. Women are required to cover their hair, but many cover it in a way that becomes a fashion statement. There are many others. Here's another contradiction: Iranian officials — including the President Hassan Rouhani and foreign minister Javad Zarif — are frequent users of social media. Yet Iranian citizens are officially banned from signing up.