Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's Diary - May 11, 1999 - A Private Meeting Between Hashemi and Ayatollah Khamenei

A Private Meeting Between Hashemi and Ayatollah Khamenei

Ali Akbar Velayati's report on the arrest of individuals accused of attempting to assassinate him. Meeting with the managers of the Foundation for Rare Diseases. Reza Amrollahi's invitation to inaugurate the University-Industry Coordination Congress. Following up on Es'haq Jahangiri's previous advice, Hashemi encourages showing concern for Seyed Mohammad Khatami. A meeting with Sheikh Mostafa Pourmohammadi, who praised Hashemi for his recent Friday sermon in support of Ayatollah Khamenei and his attacks on the reformist government. He also provided a report on the trial of Emadoddin Baghi, presided over by Judge Saeed Mortazavi, with Ali Fallahian and himself as plaintiffs. This trial, in light of the recently published memoirs of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and other information, is now a historical event. The MPs' proposal to establish an independent information protection organization within the Ministry of Intelligence, which was previously discussed independently by Abdi Media and ultimately withdrawn, is also mentioned.

The most important part of today's diary entry, like many similar entries, relates to the private meeting between Hashemi and Ayatollah Khamenei: Ayatollah Khamenei and Hashemi coordinate to lead another Friday prayer, continuing the previous sermon's attack on the reformist government and its president. They also quote Seyed Mohammad Khatami's volatile behavior during the recent organized attacks. A reminder to remove or modify certain points from Hashemi's 1982 memoirs, which were previously shared with the Supreme Leader before publication (and are now being sent to the Leader's office by Mohsen Hashemi before publication).

Dr. [Ali Akbar] Velayati, [Supreme Leader's advisor on international affairs], came and talked about the Tehran elections and the arrest of the Mujahideen Khalq who intended to assassinate him.

The managers of the Foundation for Rare Diseases, along with the families [of organ donors] who had donated organs from their brain-dead family members to those in need, came. Dr. [Seyed Mahmoud] Tabatabaei, [Deputy for Education and Research at the Foundation for Rare Diseases], presented a work report, and I gave gifts to the donor families. I spoke to them about the greatness of the foundation's work and the value of organ donation.

Mr. [Reza] Amrollahi, [President of Khaje Nasir University], came. He invited me to inaugurate the University-Industry Coordination Congress and said that Mr. [Seyed Mohammad] Khatami's, [President] morale was low and asked me to check on him.

In the afternoon, Mr. [Mostafa] Pourmohammadi, [from the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council], came. He praised my Friday sermons and the judiciary's actions in confiscating harmful publications. He gave a report on the progress of Mr. [Emadoddin] Baghi's, [writer and journalist] trial, in which he and Mr. [Ali] Fallahian, [former Minister of Intelligence], are also plaintiffs.

I was a guest of the Leader tonight. They are going to lead the next Friday prayer and continue and strengthen their previous statements. They praised my recent Friday sermons and said that the counter-revolutionaries and foreign opponents are angry and struggling, and that there are illogical attacks against you. They said that Mr. [Seyed Mohammad] Khatami has suffered a nervous shock and cannot tolerate the troubles and crises. Regarding the Tehran elections, they said that the Guardian Council must act according to the law. They expressed satisfaction with the judiciary's actions regarding the press.

They have read the first six months of my 1982 [book Karnameh and] memoirs [after the crisis]; they only gave three minor suggestions; they liked it. They expressed displeasure with the harsh interrogations of the chain murder suspects who have recently been released.

Mr. [Mostafa] Pourmohammadi said that today in

parliament, the two-urgency proposal for the establishment of the Ministry of Intelligence's protection organization under the supervision of the Leader was approved, and [Mr. Ali Younesi], the Minister of Intelligence, said that if it is approved, he will resign. The Leader also told me tonight that he does not agree with this proposal. During my government, it was also proposed that the Ministry of Intelligence be organized and transferred to the Leader or the President, and I opposed it. Foreigners and counter-revolutionaries have also made a fuss that the conservatives want to take control of the Ministry of Intelligence from Mr. Khatami's government.