Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - May 6, 2001 - A Brief Account of Recent Events by Hashemi

A Brief Account of Recent Events by Hashemi

Meeting with Seyyed Mahmoud Alavi, Mohammad Ali Hayati, and Seyyed Ali Asghar Hashemi Shahidi, along with a Report on the Bitter Events in Lamerd

Consultative Meeting with Yadollah Tahernejad, While Responsible for the Reconstruction and Establishment of the New City of Masjed Soleyman, Which Unfortunately Did Not Materialize

Meeting with Gholamreza Aghazadeh, Who Reported on the Activities of the Atomic Energy Organization and Expressed Concerns About the Reelection of Seyyed Mohammad Khatami

Meeting with Sheikh Mohammad Javad Haji Ali Akbari and Amir Khorrakian, and Hamid Aqaee, Current Officials of the Islamic Associations of Students Union

Meeting with Fereydoun Vardi Nejad, Announcing His Decision to Dismiss Himself from the Presidency of IRNA and Ayatollah Khamenei's Distrust in Him, Leading to His Appointment as Iran's Ambassador to Beijing

Complete Daily Record:

In the past two or three days, we have had good rains, which is encouraging given the drought in several provinces. Yesterday, we faced three tragic incidents: in the eastern borders, five people were killed, and 13 were injured due to a helicopter crash belonging to the Revolutionary Guard. In Sari, during a football match, about 300 people were injured, and two fatalities occurred when a canopy collapsed onto the spectators. The crowd's excessive size and some individuals climbing onto the canopy, in violation of regulations, led to this incident, during which some distressed individuals set fire to the special seating area amid the chaos. Additionally, last night, flooding in the villages of Bojnourd resulted in about 32 fatalities and significant damages.

Mr. Seyyed Mahmoud Alavi, the head of the Ideological-Political Organization of the Army, along with Mohammad Ali Hayati, a representative from Lamerd, Seyyed Ali Asghar Hashemi Shahidi, the Friday prayer leader and head of the Islamic Azad University in Lamerd, and several local officials visited. They complained about the oil ministry, the interior ministry, and the police regarding the relocation of the gas refinery from near Lamerd to near Lar, the birthplace of Mr. Seyyed Abdul Vahid Mousavi Lari, the Minister of Interior. They reported that the protesting people, including Mr. Hayati, the head of the city council, have been imprisoned. They sought assistance.

Mr. Yadollah Tahernejad, a former representative from Nowshahr, visited. He is responsible for restructuring the city of Masjed Soleyman on behalf of Mr. Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, the Minister of Oil. The reform project was initiated during the Reconstruction government, and a new city is planned to be built alongside it to attract some of the population. Several areas of the city affected by gas leaks from storage tanks are to be demolished and converted into parks. He had inquiries regarding the elections and is affiliated with the Executives of Construction Party.

Mr. Gholamreza Aghazadeh, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, came to report on nuclear plans and expressed concern about the country's situation if the current circumstances continue and if Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Khatami is re-elected. He stated that Mr. Khatami, the President, lacks the ability to summarize matters and tends to delay decision-making on important issues, recently becoming increasingly agitated and nervous.

In the afternoon, Mr. Mohammad Javad Haji Ali Akbari, the representative of the Supreme Leader, along with Amir Khorrakian and Hamid Aqaee from the Union of Islamic Associations of Students, visited. They explained their program, stating they have 400,000 members. I need to attend their opening session tomorrow.

Mr. Fereydoun Vardi Nejad, the CEO of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), came and reported that Mr. Ahmad Masjed Jamei, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, has decided to replace him and intends to appoint him as the ambassador to China. He expressed his dissatisfaction, stating that the leadership also does not trust him. I wrote these memoirs while watching the latest episode of the series "Valayat-e Eshq," which depicts the life of Imam Reza (AS), produced by Mehdi Fakhimzadeh.