Date: March 12, 2002 - Akbar Hashemi's Account of the Ongoing Controversies Surrounding Seyyed Mohammad Khatami's Statements

The farewell meeting with Stuart Heffernan, the Australian ambassador in Tehran, took place. The meeting was ceremonial and friendly, during which he sought to understand the government's stance on the presidential elections. I responded that we are bound by the will of the people. He noted that the world is gradually recognizing the importance of the Expediency Council and that following the publication of some general policies and observing the council's reasonable and logical decisions, as well as its role in solving budgetary issues, analyses have changed.

Dr. Eisa Kalantari, the former Minister of Agriculture, visited to discuss taking on the management of the newly established "Farmers' House." He explained the significance of this initiative, stating that given the current situation of farmers, its importance surpasses that of the Workers' House, as it has extensive resources across the country, especially in rural areas. He also mentioned that Dr. Mehdi Akbarzadeh requested that his research program be accepted within the Expediency Council. I suggested he discuss this with Dr. Hassan Rouhani, the head of the Strategic Research Center.

In the afternoon, I officiated the wedding of Mr. Zarinkar's daughter, one of the guards. I conducted a detailed interview with Mr. Sadegh Zibakalam, a professor at Tehran University, which will continue in the coming days. It was announced that last night, several leaders of the so-called National-Religious movement were arrested at Mr. Mohammad Basteh Negar's residence. The leftist faction has initiated an assault on the judiciary, citing that the arrests occurred immediately after the president's speech in parliament and just before his trip to Russia, with the Revolutionary Court yet to provide an explanation.

Both domestic and foreign media have provided extensive analyses of President Seyyed Mohammad Khatami's statements yesterday. They generally claim that his remarks lacked new content and reiterated previous statements. The right-wing faction considers it an electoral propaganda action, while some foreign media outlets, which expected sharp and divisive rhetoric, reacted coldly and acknowledged that Khatami's government has failed to deliver on its promises.