Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said the parliament's approval of the nuclear deal, reached between Iran and major world powers last July, shows that the opposition of some domestic political figures was motivated by domestic politics and not national interests.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the conference of the heads of Iran's diplomatic missions in Tehran on Thursday, Rafsanjani, who heads the Expediency Council, praised the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the deal is formally called, saying that the final result of the efforts of the negotiating team is in line with the country's interest, IRNA reported.
Held at the Foreign Ministry's Education and International Studies Center, the meeting was attended by Iranian ambassadors and envoys based in 170 countries.
Pointing to the effect of JCPOA on Iran's international relations, Ayatollah Rafsanjani said all representatives of the Iranian government across the world are aware of a favorable change in global attitudes toward Iran.
Noting the difficulties in the way of nuclear negotiations, he said the Iranian team entered into talks with the US and five other major power who were determined to convince Iran to give up its nuclear rights, while eventually they were convinced to respect Iran's rights.
"The deal showed that, in contrast to the propaganda efforts of some international media against Iran, the Islamic Republic is looking for constructive engagement with the world," he said.
Rafsanjani regretted the harmful divisions between Muslims, saying that according to the guidelines of the holy book Qur'an, Muslims should never seek to impose their will on others and provoke disputes.
"The holy book of Muslims invites all to follow a spirit of friendship and convergence toward each other, and help promote unity," he said, in a veiled reference to the possibility of normalizing strained relations with Saudi Arabia.
Rafsanjani said that during his presidency (1989-97), Iran engaged in crucial talks with Riyadh, which led to great achievements, including the correction of oil prices and the Islamic Summit attended by the heads of of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states in 1997 in Tehran.
