Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - December 5, 1999 - Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri's Meeting with Akbar Hashemi and His Reasons for Not Running in the Sixth Parliamentary Election

Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri's meeting with Akbar Hashemi revealed some of the reasons for his reluctance to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections, particularly his belief that after serving as Speaker of the Parliament for two terms, it would not be appropriate for him to return as a regular member of parliament. This perspective, along with his defense of the Special Clerical Court's ruling against Abdullah Nouri, offers significant and thought-provoking insights.

Gholamreza Aghazadeh's Report on His Trip to Russia

Mohsen Hashemi's Report on His Visit to China and Hong Kong for the Tehran Metro Project

Concerns Expressed by Hamidreza Asefi, Then-Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regarding Conflicts Over Handling the Chain Murders

Meeting with Karimi Nouri and Abdollahian to Encourage Hashemi's Candidacy for the Upcoming Parliamentary Election

Mr. [Ali Akbar] Nateq-Nouri, Speaker of the Parliament, came for a meeting. I had personally invited him to discuss the possibility of his candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary elections. However, my reasoning did not convince him. He stated that, firstly, he was tired after serving five terms in parliament, and it no longer held any appeal for him. Secondly, he anticipated that he would not have the majority vote in the next parliament, and after serving as Speaker for two terms, it would not be suitable for him to become an ordinary representative.

The situation then reversed, with Nateq-Nouri strongly urging me to run for parliament instead. He argued that I could play a decisive role both in parliament and in the country, and that independent forces would rally around me, something they would not do for him. His words had an impact on me. In his interview yesterday, he also emphasized the necessity of my participation in parliament.

Additionally, Mr. Nateq defended the ruling of the Special Clerical Court against Mr. [Abdullah] Nouri, [editor-in-chief of Khordad newspaper], and stated that responsibility for investigating the murders had been assigned by the Leader to the President and the Chief Justice. However, the Minister of the Interior denied this, claiming that Mr. Khatami was not involved.

[Mr. Mohammad Salman], Minister of Information from Syria, came to discuss issues related to Lebanon, Palestine, and the Golan Heights, as well as the coordinated stance of Syria and Iran. He mentioned that significant political figures were expecting me to run in the election. He also noted that Yitzhak Rabin, [former Prime Minister of Israel], had committed to returning the Golan Heights, but [Ehud] Barak was avoiding the issue.

Mr. [Gholamreza] Aghazadeh, [Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran], came and gave a report on his trip to Russia. He mentioned Russia’s readiness for full cooperation and the progress of the Bushehr power plant and other projects. He strongly emphasized the necessity of my candidacy for parliament.

At noon, Mohsen [Managing Director of Tehran Metro] came to report on his trip to China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia for the metro project.

In the afternoon, Mr. [Hamidreza] Asefi, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, came and expressed concerns about the disorder in the country, the ambiguity in policies, particularly regarding the U.S., and mentioned that people were gradually losing confidence in the country’s management. He also criticized the conflicting statements about the handling of the recent chain murders.

He strongly urged me to run in the upcoming parliamentary election, claiming that the next parliament could be dangerous without my presence. Later, Mr. [Mahmoud] Karimi Nouri and Mr. [Ali] Abdollahian came to request that I accept a nomination for the election. Recently, Mr. Karimi Nouri had been removed from his position as Head of the Grain Organization.