The chairman of Expediency Council praised the government's reengagement with the international community as a "great achievement" that he believes has been overlooked by the government's domestic critics.
"The success of the government of [President Hassan] Rouhani in reconnecting to the world … constitutes a great achievement," Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Rouhani championed two years of negotiations with P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany) over Tehran's nuclear activities, which led to a comprehensive agreement on July 14, 2015.
The deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, went into force in mid-January to scale back Iran's nuclear program in return for lifting the international sanctions.
The supporters of moderate Rouhani and the pro-reform camp, including its top figure Rafsanjani, have hoped that the stagnant domestic economy would be revived by attracting foreign investment in the absence of sanctions.
JCPOA's domestic critics, however, oppose the likely domination of western companies in Iran's market over fears of the West's corrupting influence that could undermine the establishment's underlying anti-western principles.
"Those who oppose the action plan and like to see it fall apart are in the wrong," Rafsanjani said. "We are not suggesting they have evil intentions."
