Iran agreement no reason to forget hostile US past: Cleric

A senior Iranian cleric says a recent agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries should not be a reason to forget the past hostile behavior of the United States toward the Islamic Republic.

Referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) recently reached between Iran and the P5+1 group, which includes the US, Tehran interim Friday Prayers leader Hojatoleslam Kazem Seddiqi told worshipers in a sermon, “This agreement had prompted some people to forget the enemies’ past and seek to justify the arrogant nature of the sworn enemies of Islam.”

However, he said, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei unequivocally announced on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr (July 18) that Iran’s viewpoint is completely opposite to that of the US.

On Eid al-Fitr, which marked the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, Ayatollah Khamenei also said Iran’s stance toward the US would not change following the conclusion of the talks between Iran and the P5+1.

Hojatoleslam Seddiqi further said in his Friday remarks that the critics of the agreement should be free to express their viewpoints in a friendly and genuine manner. He expressed hope that Iran’s diplomatic apparatus would act to remove any potential flaws in the agreement.

The interim Friday Prayers leader of Tehran said, however, that any criticism should be fair, and there should be no scorn or unethical behavior.

“The issue of the agreement should not cause a rift among our people,” he emphasized.

Iran and the P5+1 countries – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany – succeeded in finalizing the JCPOA in Vienna on July 14 after 18 days of intense negotiations and all-nighters that capped around 23 months of talks between Iran and the six other countries.

The UN Security Council later unanimously endorsed a draft resolution turning the JCPOA into international law.

Steady Iran stance

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hojatoleslam Seddiqi said the US and the global arrogance have sought to bring about the disintegration of Iraq and have opposed the legal government of Syria.

He said Iran condemns the US policies to divide Muslims and disintegrate Muslim countries.

“We have always supported… governments elected through popular vote,” he said.