Iran orders anti-US slogans to be removed from public places

The Iranian government has ordered anti-American slogans to be removed from public places in Tehran, in a sign of the new rapprochement between the two countries.

A spokesman for Tehran’s municipality told the official IRNA news agency that the move is due to the lack of formal approval by the council for such posters, which were put up by the Ministry of Culture.

Relations between Iran and the US have improved recently, especially with regards to the nuclear weapons issue. US President Barack Obama was reported to have exchanged letters with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, in which both expressed their hopes for positive developments in their relationship.

Meanwhile, IRNA also published part of a speech by parliamentary spokesman Ali Larijani which criticises America’s stand on Iran and Syria. This suggests that a positive transformation between the two countries may take some time to materialise after years of official mistrust.