The first vice president said the government feels bound to respond to popular demands and plans to facilitate closer, direct engagement with the people to be able to better accommodate their demands.
"We should not get worried by the people's criticism and protests. We should listen to their protests and then try to come up with solutions to resolve them," IRNA quoted Es'haq Jahangiri as saying on Tuesday.
He was addressing a gathering of the provincial officials of President Hassan Rouhani's government, which is facing serious economic challenges, partly an inheritance from Rouhani's predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Iranians' living standards have sharply declined over the past decade due to the perceived failure of the government to rein in rampant inflation, pervasive unemployment and widespread corruption.
The economic hardships sparked one week of protests around the turn of the year in dozens of Iranian cities that were put down after turning violent and leaving 25 dead among the rioters and security forces.
Jahangiri stressed the government recognizes the public right to protest and is determined to mend its relationship with the people.
"The December event was damaging but we should seek to take advantage of it. It was noted by everyone that the people must be heard. But our primary concern should be to ensure that they are not angered at the government and do not hold a grudge against it."
Channels of Dialogue
The demonstrations caught the government by surprise as they came only months after a huge public turnout in the May presidential vote to reelect Rouhani for another four years. Jahangiri said the government is seeking to create channels of direct dialogue with the people and their representatives.
The president has ordered that "the protests be recognized and dialogue be established with the people, various factions and civil institutions to avert further protests," Jahangiri said.
"Everybody should get on board to help promote dialogue throughout the country and governors and governor generals should help put that on the agenda… The government needs to establish a strong relationship with the people and be accountable to [them]."
The top official called for more active cooperation between the executive and judicial branches of government in the campaign against "systematic corruption".
"Closer cooperation between the judiciary and government could lead to great success in handling the large-scale corruption cases."
