Unity is the most important need of society at this juncture, Rafsanjani said at a session of the Assembly of Experts.
“We should remove the hurdles to unity and solve the issues” by giving hope to “the youth and the educated class and (by establishing) a relationship between seminaries and universities,” Rafsanjani stated.
He added, “Cooperation of the maraja (Shia clerics who are regarded as sources of emulation)) and seminaries with the system is a very important need. We have never had problems with the seminaries over the past 30 years, and God willing, we will not have (any in the future), and minor issues should not cause greater divisions.”
He insisted that ways to establish unity among the various classes of society must be found. Rafsanjani added that the Supreme Leader has made enough recommendations to facilitate the attainment of this goal.
“There are enough points in the Leader’s remarks in this regard and existing problems will be resolved if attention is paid to those guidelines.”
Addressing worshippers in his Eid al-Fitr prayers sermon in Tehran on Sunday, the Leader harshly criticized certain media outlets for promoting distrust and creating suspicion in society.
“The unfortunate trend of spreading rumors and slandering each other will darken hearts and the atmosphere of the society,” the Leader said.
Rafsanjani said, “He condemned the atmosphere of slander and illegal disputes, something which has existed in our society for months and caused hearts to become detached.”
Rafsanjani, who is the chairman of both the Assembly of Experts and the Expediency Council, said that everyone should obey the law. “Nobody should expect to be pardoned if he broke the law.”
It is necessary to avoid deception, sycophancy, and deceit in society, he observed, saying these things harm society like a disease.
But sincerity and transparency help create an ethical atmosphere, he added.
Referring to a statement by the Supreme Leader, who suggested that “curing with medicine” should come before “surgery”, Rafsanjani said this is a “correct” analogy.
If all these things are observed, “many of these conflicts and protests and what we are witnessing today -- and nobody can deny them -- can turn into an exchange of views” between scholarly people, Rafsanjani said.
A group of sympathetic and good-willed people are drawing up a plan to end the current disputes, which could have bad consequences for society, and to thus create a constructive atmosphere, he added.
As schools and universities are opening, it is essential to clear up ambiguities and make everything transparent, he noted.
The former president also said Iran’s diplomacy should become active since the West has intensified its pressure on Iran over its peaceful nuclear program.
“Our enemies are very active. They have launched a psychological warfare campaign, and I recommend that we should also be prepared.”
He added, “We do not seek anything more than our rights.”
Negotiators from Iran and the 5+1 group (the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany) are scheduled to hold talks on Iran’s nuclear package on October 1.
“They are plotting against us, even though many of these plots are (part of) a psychological warfare (campaign) and they want to put us in a passive position before the negotiations. But there is the possibility of undesired decisions, which we should prevent through active diplomacy.”
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