Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - February 7, 2000 - Electoral Meeting of the Chakad Azadandishan Front, Established by Abdullah Jasbi for Electoral Purposes

• Electoral and Encouraging Meeting with Mohammad Javad Larijani
• Meeting with Rear Admiral Abbas Mohtaj and Invitation to a Naval Exercise in Bandar Abbas
• Meeting with Members of the Academy of Medical Sciences
• Electoral Meeting of the Chakad Azadandishan Front, Established by Abdullah Jasbi for Electoral Purposes
• Report by Kamal Kharrazi, Foreign Minister, on His Foreign Trips

Dr. Mohammad Javad Larijani, [Tehran’s representative], came to visit. He expressed his gratitude for my decision to run for the parliamentary elections in Tehran and said, “In all the years since the revolution, I have never seen such anger from the U.S., Britain, Israel, and the Mojahedin [MKO] regarding your return to the political scene. This shows how much they were relying on steering the revolution off course in your absence, and now their plans have been disrupted.” He also expressed surprise at how clearly some individuals and factions inside the country have aligned with these foreign entities.

Admiral Abbas Mohtaj, Commander of the Navy, came to report on the state of the Navy’s capabilities. He invited me to attend next month’s naval exercise in Bandar Abbas. The members of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Dr. Iraj Fazel, Dr. Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, Dr. Abbasali Zali, and Dr. Reza Malekzadeh, also visited.

They expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of attention given to the role and potential of the Academy in shaping policies, noting that such academies are given more importance in other countries. They expressed hope that my return to the political scene would steer the country back toward reconstruction and moderation and offered their assistance in my campaign efforts, but I declined, saying it was unnecessary.

In the afternoon, the Chakad Azadandishan Front visited. Dr. Hossein Sobhani presented a report on their work and plans, and I spoke about the roots of free-thinking in Islam and the Quran, emphasizing the need for them to adhere to the essence of their name and give it true meaning. I highlighted the Islamic Revolution of Iran as a significant historical transformation in this direction.

Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi also came to give a report on his trips to the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Davos, and the results of these visits. He mentioned that our relations with the UK are improving and that the strained relations with Turkey are on the path to recovery. In all of today's meetings, people expressed relief and gratitude that the Mojahedin's mortar attacks had not harmed me. They seem to believe it was a serious threat, though I don’t share that view.

A European Airlines Boeing 737 has been hijacked from Afghanistan, taken to Tashkent, then Kazakhstan, Moscow, and finally to the UK. The hijackers are demanding the release of Ismail Khan, the former governor of Herat, who is now imprisoned in Kandahar, along with several other Afghan leaders. Tonight, it is snowing in Jamaran, but there is no other significant news in the city.