Speaking on Sunday at a ceremony marking beginning of the new academic year, Rouhani said the "ceremony means respecting science, knowledge, research and technology and the addressee of this respect are our dear professors and students."
Stressing that university can be the origin of development and the symbol of authority, President Hassan Rouhani said, “university has a very important role in scientific, cultural and social acceptability of the young generation."
Rouhani referred to the recent hearing of Iran case in The Hague, saying, “some of Iranian lawyers in this hearing were graduated from University of Tehran."
“As Imam Khomeini (RA) used to say, university can be the origin of developments and the symbol of authority, which the Leader of Islamic Revolution has also reiterated,” added Rouhani.
He also said, “if today, a manager is subject to criticism, we have to consider it a criticism towards the university, because these managers have been trained in these universities."
On the role of hope in the country and the society, Rouhani said, “the reason for our achievements in the current Iranian government was hope of future and people’s views about the future."
He also said that over-criticism could be fruitless, adding, “criticising too much can be fruitless, but cautious criticism is both fruitful and necessary."
Stating that universities should criticise and question the government, Rouhani added, “there is no doubt about this. But I ask them to criticise and question based on enough information."
“In the last 40 years, the current US administration is considered as the most vengeful government towards Iran and Iranians. Of course, enmities existed, but now, the worst ones are present in the White House,” he added.
President Rouhani added, “they have began their anti-Iran measures with a psychological and economic war as their first and second goals. Waging war against the efficiency of the Establishment is their third goal and delegitimisation of the Establishment is their ultimate goal."
Stating that the great Iranian nation will overcome these conspiracies with unity and integrity, Rouhani said, “we can beat the United states in many fields. Nobody in the world, apart from a few countries, claims that the United States’ decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was right."
“We will withdraw from the deal whenever we want to. Withdrawal is like destroying a wall, which is very easy. JCPOA staying in place or not is not important; what is important is our national interests and national security," he added.
LR/PR