Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - January 4, 2000 - Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri Requests Hashemi's Intervention to Add 10,000 Pilgrims to Hajj Quota

Meeting with Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri, requesting Hashemi’s intervention to add 10,000 pilgrims to the Hajj quota and referring him to President Mohammad Khatami, while Hashemi himself promised to intervene if Khatami didn’t take action. Additionally, his proposed solution for handling the press is noteworthy.

In today's entry, Hashemi reflects on some interesting notes inspired by a visit from Sheikh Abdul Majid Ma’adi-Khahi.

The meeting with Mohseni Eje’i, Assistant Chief of the Judiciary and head of the Judiciary Complex for Government Employees, also provides key insights. He supported Hashemi’s candidacy in the elections, conveyed greetings from his wife, and requested to be kept informed on Gholamhossein Karbaschi’s pardon case. Mohseni Eje’i also gave updates on the cases involving Mohammad Ali Abtahi, Saeed Hajjarian, Mohsen Nourbakhsh, and Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli, which were under the jurisdiction of the Special Clerical Court and various public courts.

Hashemi also met with Ali Benayi, who sought Hashemi’s help to prevent Hassan Rouhani from running against Sheikh Mohammad Mo’men in the Assembly of Experts elections. Benayi also shared other electoral proposals concerning the upcoming Majles (parliamentary) elections.

Moreover, Hashemi had a significant meeting with Morteza Alviri, Mayor of Tehran, during which they discussed the controversial bill proposing the merger of the Traffic Police into the Tehran Municipality.

The highlight of the day was Hashemi’s private meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei. Hashemi persistently pushed for Karbaschi’s pardon, a matter that Mohseni Eje’i had previously been monitoring closely. They also addressed various managerial issues within the Ministry of Intelligence.

Details of the Day:

Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri, [Head of the Iranian Hajj Delegation], visited. He requested that during my trip to Qom, I visit the Dar al-Hadith institute. He suggested that the current political tensions could be resolved by shutting down provocative newspapers and encouraging certain adventurers to remain silent. He also expressed happiness about my potential candidacy and requested that I ask Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to accept an additional 10,000 Hajj pilgrims this year, as they had done in previous years upon my request. I told him that the officials, including the president, should address this first, and if they failed, I would step in.

Abdul Majid Ma’adi-Khahi [President of the Islamic Revolution Historical Foundation] also visited. Since we recently met at my home, he had no new issues to discuss. Instead, we reminisced about the early years of the revolution, during which he reminded me of several important events I had forgotten:

1. When [Khosrow Tehrani], the head of intelligence at the Prime Minister’s office, banned Iranians from leaving the country, a meeting was held in my office at Ma’adi-Khahi’s suggestion. After much debate, we revoked the decision, and I gave a public interview announcing that Iranians could travel freely. He mentioned that he shared this story in an article in the Asr-e Azadegan newspaper.
2. He recalled how Ayatollah Ahmad Khomeini and the Freedom Movement initially tried to bring the Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) closer to Imam Khomeini, allowing them to infiltrate the Refah School—the first headquarters of the Imam. This prompted Ayatollah [Morteza] Motahhari to relocate Imam’s headquarters to Alavi School, which caused friction and led to Ayatollah [Seyed Mohammad] Beheshti’s displeasure. He also mentioned that some individuals wanted to bring two MKO members to Behesht-e Zahra during Imam’s speech, but Ayatollah Motahhari opposed it, preventing their success.

Mohseni Eje’i, [head of the Special Clerical Court], visited and provided updates on the cases of [Mohammad Ali] Abtahi, the president's chief of staff, as well as [Saeed] Hajjarian, [member of the Tehran City Council], and the Court of Audit’s complaint regarding alleged misconduct by [Mohsen] Nourbakhsh, [Governor of the Central Bank], and [Dr. Mohammad Hossein] Adeli. He requested to be kept informed if Karbaschi’s pardon was to proceed and had no objection to it. He conveyed greetings from his wife as a token of gratitude. He has recently participated in student and public gatherings, defending the Special Clerical Court, and found public sentiment favorable. He gave little weight to the outcry from a few newspapers.

In the evening, Ali Benayi from Qom visited. He requested that Dr. [Hassan] Rouhani not run against Ayatollah [Mohammad] Mo’men in Semnan for the Assembly of Experts elections. He also asked that the [Kargozaran] party not collaborate with left-wing candidates against the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom. He expressed dissatisfaction at not being invited to collaborate in the Assembly of Experts’ meeting.

Later, [Morteza] Alviri, [Mayor of Tehran], visited and provided a report on the municipality’s activities. He said that with construction projects resuming in Tehran, the municipality had recovered from its economic slump. He expressed disappointment that the bill to transfer traffic management to the Tehran municipality was denied urgency, as he deemed it necessary for reducing air pollution in Tehran.

In the evening, I was a guest of the Leader for Iftar. I arrived an hour before sunset. We discussed various topics, including the elections, the press, and the Ministry of Intelligence. There was a serious discussion about Karbaschi’s pardon. The Leader was not in favor of granting clemency during Eid al-Fitr, but I pressed the matter persistently. Eventually, he agreed to reconsider and provide a response.

It was also announced that the negotiations between Israel and Syria in Washington had reached an impasse. Meanwhile, the Chechen rebels intensified their counterattacks against Russian forces and regained control of several villages. [Vladimir] Putin, [Acting President of Russia], has begun a series of dismissals and appointments, including the dismissal of [Tatyana Yumasheva], Yeltsin’s daughter, from her advisory role. Reports are surfacing of minor computer disruptions in several Arab countries.