The Obama administration has opened a virtual embassy for Iran to encourage dialogue with the Iranian people.

The web-based “embassy” went online Tuesday, December 6, with versions in English and Farsi explaining why the administration has chosen a virtual diplomatic mission to further expand its effort to reach out to Iranians even as President Barack Obama’s attempts to engage the government in Tehran over its nuclear program have yet to succeed.

"Because the United States and Iran do not have diplomatic relations, we have been deprived of opportunities for dialogue with the citizens of Iran," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a press release.

Earlier this year, the State Department launched a Farsi-language Twitter account and Facebook page aimed at providing news to Iranians about U.S. government policies and encouraging feedback. The virtual embassy is intended to compliment the social media sites.

“This website is not a formal diplomatic mission, nor does it represent or describe a real U.S. embassy accredited to the Iranian government,” the State Department said in an introductory note. “But, in the absence of direct contact, it can work as a bridge between the American and Iranian people.”

In a video message, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the websites were an attempt to make up for the loss of dialogue between Americans and Iranians since the closure of the physical embassy in Tehran, The Washington Post reported.