Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - August 8, 2000 - Meeting with Sheikh Mohammad Niayee, Head of the Armed Forces Judicial Organization, and informal opinion of Ayatollah Khamenei in a private meeting with Hashemi

Meeting with General Hossein Alaei, who provided a report on the Tehran Mosque project and discussed the reasons for his resignation as head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff due to differences with the then Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Meeting with Isa Kalantari and Engineer Mofidi to discuss the development of sugarcane in Khuzestan.

Meeting with Sheikh Ahmad Ahmadi, a member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, who criticized Seyyed Mohammad Khatami for declaring his candidacy in the upcoming elections. In the coming days, it will be noted that Dr. Ahmadi played a significant role in efforts to prevent Khatami from continuing his presidency.

Meeting with Sheikh Mohammad Niayee, Head of the Armed Forces Judicial Organization, and the subsequent informal opinion of Ayatollah Khamenei during a private meeting with Hashemi. This included a verbal message on the day the president was scheduled to speak about the serial killings in the Expediency Council, as well as the readiness of some members of the council to confront him. This meeting was managed by Hashemi to ensure Khatami only addressed clichéd and brief issues, which is noteworthy, especially in light of his criticisms of Khatami and Hamid Sarmadi, the then Deputy Minister of Security.

Waves of support for Ayatollah Khamenei's ruling to the Sixth Parliament regarding the halt of the press law reform proposed by Ali Larijani, and the expansion of this issue to protests against Mohammad Rashidian and Ali Asghar Hadi Zadeh, representatives of the Sixth Parliament, who made strong public statements in reaction to Ayatollah Khamenei.

General Hossein Alaei, the CEO of Imam Khomeini Mosque, came to visit. He expressed gratitude for my attention and assistance regarding the construction of the Tehran Mosque and explained his resignation from the Joint Chiefs of Staff due to differences with the IRGC command. He brought an album of photos from the Mosque's tour program.

Minister Isa Kalantari and Engineer Mofidi, responsible for the sugarcane industry in Khuzestan, came to report on their work and problems. They complained about the lack of serious attention from the president and banks to their credit needs, as well as the negative campaigning by some representatives from Khuzestan against the project, using the issue of water salinity in Abadan. They lamented that a severe drought has coincided with a "Great Tide" that typically occurs every sixteen years, providing explanations regarding the significant damages caused by the drought.

In the evening, Dr. Ahmad Ahmadi, a member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, came and criticized the inaction of the council as well as the economic stagnation and regression of the country over the three years of the government. He complained about being summoned to a meeting of university managers at the President's office where his candidacy for the elections was announced in their presence. He remarked that factionalism among the reformists is intense at the university and expressed concern that this faction might hold power for another four years. He mentioned he is preparing a book on philosophy in response to the significant negative issues of Western philosophy.

Mr. Mohammad Niayee, head of the Military Court, came to express his thanks for the management of the Expediency Council meeting, where criticisms against him were not voiced. He expressed concern about the handling of the serial killings trial and criticized Khatami, Hamid Sarmadi, and Ali Rabiei for their interventionist actions regarding the serial killings.

Numerous statements have been issued in support of the leader's actions and the parliament regarding the press law proposal, condemning the opponents of this letter, while a group of Basij students have staged a sit-in in front of the parliament. Protests against Mohammad Rashidian and Ali Asghar Hadi Zadeh have taken place in Abadan and surrounding areas.