In a rare Facebook response, President Barack Obama says a Humans of New York post about an Iranian boy who showed his humanitarian side by giving away a bag of fruit was "inspirational" and "really resonated" with him as a parent.
A photograph of an Iranian man sitting with a boy was posted on Thursday on the page, which is run by photographer Brandon Stanton, who is on a trip to Iran.
"Today's his 10th birthday," read the photo post, which was also posted on Instagram and liked on Facebook by more than 486,000 people, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "He's a very emotional young man. He likes to solve other people's problems."
"One time when he was five years old, he came with me to the store and we bought two pounds of fresh apricots," the post continued. "I let him carry the bag home. He walked a little bit behind me the entire way. After a while, I asked him to hand me an apricot. 'I can't,' he said. 'I've given them all away.' I knew then that I was raising a humanitarian."
"What an inspirational story," responded Obama, a father of two daughters, via the White House's Facebook account. "One of the most fulfilling things that can happen to you as a parent is to see the values you've worked to instill in your kids start to manifest themselves in their actions—and this one really resonated with me."
"I hope this young man never loses his desire to help others," he added. "And I'm going to continue doing whatever I can to make this world a place where he and every young person like him can live up to their full potential. (And if I ever get to meet him, I hope he'll save me an apricot!) -bo."
Obama made his comments a day after he secured support from 34 Senate members, the required minimum number, to back an Iran nuclear deal and sustain his promised veto if the Republican-controlled Congress votes in favor of a disapproval resolution. Under the agreement, Iran would curb its nuclear program, deemed by U.S. ally Israel as a security threat, in return for relief of sanctions, which have hurt its economy.
Fellow Democrat and 2016 presidential election candidate Hillary Clinton had responded to a Humans of New York Facebook post in July, commenting on a photo of a gay teenage boy who appeared to be in despair.