Former US congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul has hailed the successful conclusion of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, calling it “to the benefit of world peace.”

Paul expressed his opinion in two recent interviews, taking a stand in contrast to his son, Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul, who has said that the nuclear agreement is “unacceptable”.

After more than two weeks of marathon talks, Iran and the P5+1 group of countries - the US, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany – announced the conclusion of nuclear negotiations in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on Tuesday.

According to the text of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran will be recognized by the United Nations as a nuclear power and will continue its uranium enrichment program.

On Friday, Ron Paul told American journalist Michael Berry on his radio show that a lot of opposition to the agreement is because of an unfair view of the Iranian people in the United States.

“We have learned and been conditioned to distrust and hate the Persians, and that they’re gonna kill us,” Paul said. “But there’s no history to show that Iran are aggressive people.”

“When’s the last time they invaded a country? Over 200 years ago!” he asked.

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a press conference in Vienna, Austria on July 14, 2015. (AFP photo)

The veteran politician and commentator also defended Iran’s support for the Lebanese movement Hezbollah and other resistance groups.

He said the United States is engaged “in 160 countries, and Iran is, you know, involved with Hezbollah and the others, trying to protect their interests.”

On Tuesday, Paul told Newsmax news channel that the nuclear accord with Iran was a step toward a better world, even if it fails to accomplish everything that it could.

"There's something to be said about moving in the direction of at least talking to people instead of saying, 'All right, you're scoundrels, we'll keep our $100 billion we've taken from you and all options are on the table, like if you don't do what we tell you, we're allowed to use our nuclear weapons against you,' " Paul said.

"The tone has been changed. It's to our benefit; it's to the benefit of world peace,” he added

Many Republican candidates are opposing the nuclear agreement to avoid angering the pro-Israel lobby and preventing their Democratic rivals from getting any political advantage by resolving the Iranian nuclear issue.

Republican presidential candidate US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during a campaign stop at an Embassy Suites hotel on June 29, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AFP photo)

Ron Paul’s son, Rand, a 2016 presidential candidate, is also against the settlement with Iran over its nuclear program. On Tuesday, he tweeted that “the proposed agreement with Iran is unacceptable and I will vote against the agreement.”