"There is no reason for unfairness. Let us see the strong and weak points, speak of the strong points in a friendly manner and warn of the weak ones,” Tehran interim Friday Prayers leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami said in a sermon to worshipers.
"Let us allow room for constructive criticism,” he said, adding, "If we call any criticism destruction, then scholars and elites will withdraw from debates.”
"This atmosphere should continue to remain open; and, of course, critics should criticize constructively,” the senior Iranian cleric said.
He said the final text of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) should be examined thoroughly and carefully.
"The nuclear issue is not a factional one; rather, it is a national matter concerning all,” Ayatollah Khatami said.
"No one should seek factional advantages out of it because the desired result will not happen. The nuclear issue is a national issue and we should all help to bring about its success and fruition,” he said.
He also thanked Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and the nuclear negotiating team for their efforts during the course of the talks with the P5+1 that culminated in the agreement.
Representatives from Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – plus Germany succeeded in finalizing the JCPOA in the Austrian capital, 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.
Under the JCPOA, limits will be put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all economic and financial bans, against the Islamic Republic.
The Security Council on July 20 unanimously endorsed a draft resolution turning the JCPOA into international law. All 15 members of the world body voted for the draft UN resolution in New York.