Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - February 6, 2000 - Report of the Meeting of the Heads of the Three Branches

• Inspection of the Area Hit by Last Night’s Mortar Fire in the Secure Quadrant Around the Offices of the Supreme Leader, the President, the Judiciary Chief, and the Expediency Council, and the Denial of the Incident Near the Presidential Office
• Attendance at a Workers' Assembly at the Invitation of the House of Workers
• Participation in a Gathering at Jamia Mosque in Shahr-e Rey
• Private Electoral and Non-Electoral Discussions with Mohsen Hashemi
• The Most Important Entry Today: Report from the Meeting of the Heads of the Three Branches, Including Himself, Featuring Key and Overlooked Points

I went to the office and inspected the site of the mortar shells that had fallen last night. Three mortars had landed, and their shrapnel shattered a few windows, including one in the office, while another hit a tree, breaking its branches. Reporters also came to inspect the area.

Last night, initial reports mentioned that the mortars had landed near the President’s Office, but later reports denied this. Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the Chief Justice, mentioned that this correction was made at the request of Mohammad Ali Abtahi, Chief of Staff for President Khatami, with political exploitation in mind.

I attended a workers' assembly. Alireza Mahjoub, Secretary-General of the House of Workers, and Hassan Sadeghi welcomed me and praised the extensive services I had provided for workers. I delivered a speech on the value of work and the critical role workers played in the success of the revolution, defense, and reconstruction. Some workers raised complaints about delays in receiving their wages.

In the afternoon, I went to Jamia Mosque in Shahr-e Rey and spoke at a memorial ceremony for the 2,700 martyrs of southern Tehran. I talked about the importance of jihad, sacrifice, and martyrdom. Both gatherings were very enthusiastic and expressed warm gratitude and joy over my candidacy in the elections.

At noon, my son Mohsen (CEO of Tehran Metro) visited. We discussed the negative and positive aspects surrounding the elections, the progress and financial challenges of the metro, and the timeline for the inauguration of the first section of [Line 2] of the underground metro, up to Imam Khomeini Station.

In the evening, I hosted the heads of the three branches of government. Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi reported on the findings of the new investigation team concerning the recent chain murders. The conclusion is dissatisfaction with the interrogations and the way the case was handled. They have decided to remove the case from the current team and assign it to another group while reducing the harsh treatment of the suspects.

The inspection group found that during interrogations, the suspects had been placed in conditions where they wrote whatever was asked of them just to be left alone. However, the murders themselves are undeniable crimes, and there is no doubt about their guilt.

Russia has declared that the war in Chechnya is over, but it seems that the conflict has shifted to guerrilla warfare.