After years of hearing Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad deny that the Holocaust ever happened and threaten to “wipe Israel off the map,” it was startling, in a good way, when Iranian officials started saying nice things about the Jews a couple of weeks ago.

“I wish all Jews, especially Iranian Jews, a blessed Rosh Hashanah,” the new Iranian president, moderate Hassan Rouhani, tweeted in English. (Update: Maybe? Kind of?)

His foreign minister, Javad Zarif, also wished the Jews a happy new year, and distanced Iran from crazy old Ahmadinejad and his crazy notions about the Holocaust:

Happy Rosh Hashanah — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) September 5, 2013 Thanks. The New Year would be even sweeter if you would end Iran's Holocaust denial, sir. “@JZarif: Happy Rosh Hashanah” — sfpelosi (@sfpelosi) September 5, 2013 @sfpelosi Iran never denied it. The man who was perceived to be denying it is now gone. Happy New Year. — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) September 5, 2013

Ahmadinejad? That guy? Come one, nobody took that seriously.

It seemed like a new page had been turned. And then President Rouhani did an interview with NBC’s Ann Curry and could not bring himself to admit that the Holocaust was a real thing.

Rouhani doesn’t explicitly deny the Holocaust. But he refuses to acknowledge its existence, which isn’t much better. You do not need to be a historian to know that the Holocaust happened any more than you need to be a barber to believe in Rouhani’s beard. It’s almost as if Rouhani’s higher-ups in Iran pulled him aside and told him, Sooo, great job on those Rosh Hashanah tweets, but maybe just dial it back a little bit?