Memories of Akbar Hashemi - March 1, 2001 - Continuation of the Visit to Khuzestan Province: Travel to Dezful and Shush

Continuing the visit to Khuzestan Province, including trips to Dezful and Shush, the Unity Base, and listening to reports from local and provincial officials, including Major General Habib Baqaei, Alireza Tabesh, and Rasoul Zargarpour.

Complete Daily Record:

I read reports early in the morning. The arrest of a group of members from the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization in the U.S. as terrorists, as well as their classification as terrorists in the UK and Italy, has attracted attention. The unrest in Indonesia and the threat of division, along with the pressure on President Abdurrahman Wahid and the intensifying war in Afghanistan, particularly the Taliban's order to destroy all statues, including the famous Buddha statues in Bamiyan, is significant.

We headed toward Dezful. On the way, [Mr. Mokhtadaei] provided explanations. We made a surprise visit to the tomb of the Prophet Daniel in Shush. The head of the endowment organization and the caretaker of the shrine were present. In the crypt, they provided insights about the prophet, including that he was captured by Nebuchadnezzar in Palestine 700 years before Christ, taken to Babylon, and later respectfully returned to Iran by Cyrus, where he lived and passed away in Shush, the capital of Iran. Other noteworthy information was shared. A large crowd of people had gathered at the entrance of the courtyard, expressing their emotions. I spoke a few words to them.

We then proceeded to Dezful. At the Unity Base, we were warmly welcomed by military officials and immediately headed to the conference hall. Hundreds of families of martyrs from Dezful, along with officials and military personnel, had gathered. The governor welcomed us and provided a report. Major General [Habib] Baqaei, Commander of the Air Force, also welcomed us, and the daughter of a martyr read an emotional and revolutionary letter addressed to her father, expressing her grievances about the current cultural chaos. A choir of deaf students performed an innovative song, and they accompanied it with gestures. My heart ached for them. They requested a camera for their school, and I agreed.

I delivered an extensive speech, highlighting the remarkable resilience of the people of Dezful during the war, noting the impact of 170 missile strikes, thousands of artillery shells, and dozens of bombings, along with the loss of 2,600 martyrs. I stated that this visit was to compensate for the cancellation of my trip a few weeks ago. There was an overwhelming display of emotions during the session, and the host energetically managed the event with revolutionary poetry.

We then moved toward the Karun Dam. Accompanying us were [Gholamreza] Forouzesh, [Abdolhassan Mokhtadaei], the governor, and Major General [Habib] Baqaei, Commander of the Air Force. We arrived at the dam site by noon. After prayers, we began our visit, which lasted three hours. We toured various sections of the dam, including the body, spillway, and power plant, and took a boat ride on the reservoir. It was reported that 32 million cubic meters of earth had been moved, 17 million cubic meters excavated, with costs totaling 226 billion tomans and $60 million, and the project had taken eight years to nearly complete. The contractor is the Khatam al-Anbiya Engineering Headquarters, with the Ministry of Energy overseeing the project, all conducted by Iranian forces, with consultations from Mahab Quds Company. The height of the dam is 131 meters, its crest length is 1,100 meters, and at its highest level, the reservoir holds over seven billion cubic meters of water.

Engineer [Alireza] Tabesh, [President of the Housing Foundation], Engineer [Rasoul] Zargar, [Deputy Minister of Energy], and Engineer [Ali] Khalaji provided explanations. At 3:30 PM, we had lunch and met with the Imam of Andimeshk, conducted a brief interview with the Ministry of Energy magazine, and delivered a short speech to the managers. At 5 PM, we returned to the Unity Base and flew back to Tehran with military escorts. During the flight, I had fruitful discussions with Major General Baqaei about the capabilities, needs, and innovations of the Air Force, and with Engineer Zargar regarding the dams under construction. I urged them to address the water issues concerning the designated headquarters in Khorramshahr.

Engineer Zargar, the Deputy Minister of Energy, mentioned that President Khatami intends to inaugurate the Karun and Masjed Soleiman dams at the end of April. However, he noted that the inauguration would not change much since the Karun Dam currently supplies water for the land below it, and the power plant would not be completed anytime soon. This raises questions about what will happen after the inauguration. The situation at the Masjed Soleiman dam – located at Gadar Lander – is even worse, as there is no agricultural or water issue there; it is solely for electricity production, and its power plant is not ready. Thus, whether before or after the inauguration, it would not make a difference, and these inaugurations might have political implications before the presidential elections, which could be brought up by opponents.

Major General Baqaei expressed concerns about a lack of foreign currency and stated that if they had the currency, they could prepare Iranian-made F-5 aircraft for flight since the Iranian-made airframes are ready and waiting for parts that need to be imported. He mentioned that the radar lamps have been manufactured. In the evening, I spent time at home reading reports and writing about the trip.