I’ve talked a bit here and in speeches about the State Department’s work to update diplomatic tools and approaches, to create what Secretary Clinton refers to as 21st Century Statecraft. We at Embassy Wellington are in the vanguard of the effort, experimenting with new ideas and following closely the projects of our colleagues elsewhere.

One of the interesting efforts we’ve been tracking went live today, a Virtual US Embassy Tehran designed to encourage engagement and communication between the peoples of Iran and the United States.

Because the two countries have not had diplomatic relations since a government-supported mob sacked the US Embassy and seized hostages more than 30 years ago, we’ve have been deprived of opportunities for direct dialogue with the citizens of Iran. The Virtual Embassy hopes to bridge that gap by means of an integrated tech platform including website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

As the Secretary noted in her welcome video posted to the site, “This is a platform for us to communicate with each other—openly and without fear—about the United States, about our policies, our culture, and the American people.” In announcing the launch, Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland stated:

“We believe that outreach efforts like these are essential to bringing information and alternative viewpoints to the Iranian people, especially as the Iranian regime continues its efforts to control the flow of information to and from the Iranian people. This Virtual Embassy is just the first of many ways in which we will seek to challenge the Iranian regime’s efforts to place an electronic curtain of surveillance, satellite jamming, and online filtering around its people, and I look forward to enhancing our communication efforts directly to the Iranian people.”

Of course, the Iranian authorities have immediately taken steps to blockade the Virtual Embassy and prevent the exchange of ideas. As we know from elsewhere in the world, though, such blockades cannot and do not hold in today’s interconnected world.

In response to the blockade, the White House released a statement noting:

“The United States remains steadfast in our commitment to a dialogue with the Iranian people based upon mutual interests, mutual respect, and admiration for a great and ancient civilization. The Iranian government should explain to its own people why it fears their ability to access the information that they choose.”

Designed to expand as dialogue increases, the Virtual Embassy is run in both English and Persian. Please take a look and share the links.