U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday reached out to the Iranians on the Persian new year, saying that the United States and Iran "should not be divided from one another,"

In a White House statement, Obama admitted that there is a " continued tension" between the two countries. "But as people gather with their families, do good deeds, and welcome a new season, we are also reminded of the common humanity that we share, " he said.

"There is no reason for the United States and Iran to be divided from one another," Obama continued, citing the Iranian movie "A Separation" which won this year's Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and the U.S. navy's recent rescuing of Iranians held hostage by Somali pirates.

Obama told the Iranians that "America seeks a dialogue to hear your views and understand your aspirations," and urged the Iranian government to allow its people to have access to information from the outside world.

Tensions between Iran and the United States are running high after the latter put in place unprecedentedly tough sanctions against Tehran under the accusation that Iran is engaged in weapon- related nuclear activities. Both the United States and Israel have refused to rule out a military option on Iran's nuclear issue.

Recently, the P5+1 countries, namely the United States, China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain, have agreed to resume negotiations with Iran over its disputed nuclear program, with the date and venue for the talks to be decided.