Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - October 2, 2001 - Consultative Meeting with Hassan Rouhani on International Affairs, Particularly Ayatollah Khamenei's Warning Against Relations with the U.S.

• Consultative Meeting with Hassan Rouhani Regarding International Affairs and Ayatollah Khamenei’s Warning Against U.S. Relations
• Meeting with Majid Abbaspour, Technical Advisor to the President, and Report on His Resignation
• Meeting with Faramarz Palizdar, Head of Palizan Publications, along with Abdoljabbar Kakaei and Dr. Ghasemi
• Consultative Meeting with Members of the Alashat City Council in Mazandaran Province
• Meeting with Amir Iraqi and Complaint About the Ministry of Science’s Handling of an Educational Complex in Taleqan

Full Diary Entry:

Last night, it rained in Tehran, and there were floods and destruction in the north. Dr. [Ahad] Milani came to take blood for a test and gave a report on the challenges of shrimp sales in the country. Dr. [Majid] Abbaspour, [Technical Advisor to the President], came. He has resigned from his role in special industries, saying parts of these centers have been handed over to other departments.

[Mr. Faramarz Palizdar], head of Palizan Publications, came and brought some literary works related to the Sacred Defense (Iran-Iraq War). He was accompanied by two people: one was a poet, [Abdoljabbar] Kakaei, and the other was a doctor, Ghasemi. They mentioned that in order to convey the message of the frontlines to a segment of society that lacks trust in the system, independent methods must be used. I advised them to act in a way that does not distance them from loyal supporters of the front.

In the evening, several officials from Alashat, the birthplace of Reza Shah [Pahlavi], came. They said that after the revolution, some of the privileges Reza Shah had granted to his hometown were lost, and the city has gradually become deserted, with its well running dry. They sought help for roads, water, the Islamic Azad University, and a visit from me to the area.

Dr. [Hassan] Rouhani, [Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council], came to discuss the current situation in relation to U.S. actions in the region. Most of his statements echoed those of General [Qassem] Soleimani, [Commander of the Quds Force], regarding America's goals and operational strategies. He didn’t have any new information and mentioned that the Security Council’s resolution will be extended for another year. He also informed me that during a meeting of the Supreme National Security Council, the Leader [Ayatollah Khamenei] advised not to think about establishing relations with the U.S. and criticized [Mehdi] Karroubi, [Speaker of the Parliament], for allowing [Ahmad] Bourghani, [a member of the Parliament’s presiding board], to sign the memorial book for the Americans. He said that Western banks have refused to return the deposited foreign exchange, which we were supposed to recover from them.

Today, NATO members announced that the U.S. has presented convincing evidence of bin Laden’s responsibility, and NATO is now persuaded to act under Article 5 of the treaty. [Tony Blair], the British Prime Minister, stated that the U.S. will attack the Taliban, and [Pervez] Musharraf, [President of Pakistan], said that the Taliban’s time is coming to an end. Yesterday in Kashmir, militants attacked the state parliament building, killing 35 and injuring 70 people.

Mr. Amir Iraqi came. He complained that the Minister of Science has only approved an associate degree for the Shahid [Mehdi] Iraqi University in Taleqan, instead of a bachelor’s degree, as requested.