The recent nuclear accord with the major powers has delighted the nation, the chairman of the Expediency Council said, adding that the jubilation is a great asset for the Islamic system, officials, and government.
The authorities should thank God for being provided with a chance to make the people happy, IRNA quoted Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as saying.
Addressing a group of high-ranking officials and academics in a meeting on the occasion of the new Iranian year (started March 21), Rafsanjani said, "Public rejoicing is the right of all citizens."
"The nuclear statement is the beginning of a quite difficult path toward reaching a workable deal," he noted, adding that the Zionist lobbies will undoubtedly make every effort to scuttle the process of finalizing a deal through spreading lies to promote Iranophobia.
Rafsanjani said the official recognition of Iran's nuclear program is a significant feature of the agreement reached last Thursday in the Swiss city of Lausanne. He also said, "Under international regulations, the International Atomic Energy Agency is obliged to help Iran update its nuclear facilities using cutting-edge nuclear science and technologies."
Lasting Policy of Transparency
The senior official also stressed that transparency has always been a policy of the Islamic Republic since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, saying there is no need for secrecy as "we see the peaceful use of nuclear energy as our legitimate right."
Iran denounces the proliferation of nuclear weapons as a means of killing people and destroying the world, he said, adding that Tehran has committed itself to making use of nuclear energy in medicine and agriculture, among other areas. He called on the relevant officials to try to set the stage for enhancing such applications.
Elsewhere, Rafsanjani expressed regret over the ongoing sectarian conflicts in Islamic countries and urged promotion of empathy and prevention of disputes among Muslims through following their holy book Qur'an.
