TEHRAN – In remarks on Saturday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insisted on the need for unity and internal cohesion in the country, saying desecration is forbidden, especially among the top officials of the country.

The remarks by the Leader came after a senior MP heading the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee made stinging criticism of President Hassan Rouhani.

The Leader called on the opponents of the government to “uphold respect of officials”.

"Desecration is forbidden, especially among the top officials of the country," Ayatollah Khamenei said in the meeting with the members of the national committee tasked to fight coronavirus in which President Rouhani was present, according to Mehr news agency. 

"You have the right to criticize, but criticism is different from insult and desecration. Such behavior and humiliation is the way Americans have exposed themselves in the world during their debates," Leader noted in an open reference to presidential debates between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

"Our method is Islamic and Quranic, that is, criticism is expressed but insult is not done," he highlighted.

Ayatollah Khamenei said today the country is in need of unity and cooperation more than ever. 

The Leader also praised the performance of the national taskforce tasked to fight coronavirus, saying it is necessary to adopt proper management and take “decisive sovereign decisions” to control the rapidly increasing virus.

Ayatollah Khamenei added “convincing the public opinion” to observe health protocols and also winning “the cooperation of all institutions and people” to deal with the global pandemic is essential.

"Of course,” he added, “this cooperation is not limited to the confrontation with the coronavirus, but must exist in all issues, especially political issues, because the country, which has a strong nation, a new system, and a new discourse, naturally faces important issues in the global and domestic arenas."

Referring to measures taken in different countries to deal with the coronavirus, Ayatollah Khamenei said, "In some countries, such as the United States, the worst management has been applied in this regard, but we should try to overcome the incident, which is related to the lives and health of the people and their security and economy, with the best management."

During the session, Rouhani presented a report on the measures taken by the national committee to combat coronavirus, as well as the future plans of the committee.

MH/PA