AFP - Democratic Senator John Kerry offered his best wishes Friday to Iranian-Americans and others celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

"Nowruz symbolizes a time of renewal and hope; we all should take a moment to reflect on the shared humanity that ties us together. May this new year bring you peace and prosperity," the former US presidential hopeful said in a statement.

Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, hailed "the more than one million Iranian Americans of all religious backgrounds who share this day," a 3,000-year-old holiday that falls on Sunday with the start of spring.

His comments came days after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a first-of-its-kind resolution wishing Iranians and Iranian Americans a "prosperous new year."

Last year, US President Barack Obama used Nowruz to make an unprecedented direct appeal to Iranians, extending a hand to turn the page on three decades of hostility since the Islamic revolution ousted the pro-Western shah.

The Obama administration has since voiced frustration at what it sees as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's failure to reciprocate and has criticized the clerical regime for its contested nuclear program and human rights record.