Senior cleric Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem-Shirazi has called for Iran's presidential election dispute to be settled through "national conciliation".

"Extremely bitter events have occurred in the days following the magnificent 10th [presidential] election, and certain adventurists took advantage of the disputes between the honorable candidates," Grand Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi said in a statement published on his website on Thursday.

The octogenarian professor of theology said that the recent events "have caused deep regret and sorrow in all Iranians loyal to the Islamic establishment and the revolution,... and have gladdened the enemy."

"Under these circumstances, where both our friends and enemies are observing the situation in our country, it is incumbent upon us to fully maintain calm and not to allow adventurists to disturb public order and destroy public and private property, and, as the great Leader of the Islamic Revolution has emphasized, the problems must be solved through legal means," added the Grand Ayatollah.

He went on to say that the solution to the conflict must not be a superficial one. "Definitively, something must be done to ensure that there are no embers burning under the ashes, and (to ensure) that hostilities, antagonism and rivalries are transformed into amity and cooperation among all parties."

He called on rival parties to show self-restraint, to resolve the problems rationally and to bear in mind the future of the country.

The religious scholar went on to call for the grounds to be prepared for a "national conciliation". He called on all observers to assist in solving the current problems.

Following the victory of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on June 12, Iran has become the scene of rallies with defeated presidential hopefuls Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi rejecting the election result as fraudulent and demanding a re-run.

Grand Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi is a highly revered Islamic jurist with a large number of followers.

ZAP/HGH/AA