Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's Memoirs - December 15, 1999 Today, I went to the Tehran Governor's Office and officially registered to run in the Sixth Parliamentary elections.

Mr. [Mohsen] Rahami, the lawyer of Mr. Abdullah Nouri, visited me. He brought a message from Mr. Nouri and sought advice. He mentioned several objections to the ruling of the Special Clerical Court and asked me to request that the court accept an appeal. I told him that if Mr. Nouri formally requests an appeal, I could discuss it with the court. Rahami agreed to visit Mr. Nouri in prison to talk to him and inform me of the outcome. I added that if Nouri had accepted my advice earlier, perhaps the result would have been better.

Mr. Tafaghod [Rad] and his son also came by. Before the revolution, he worked at Hosseiniyeh Ershad and made some requests: a car, foreign currency for his son’s medical treatment, and affordable housing. He also recited some of his poetry.

In the afternoon, Mohsen and my brother Mohammad came to discuss my registration and other election-related matters. Later, we went to the Tehran Governor’s Office to register. Many reporters were waiting, and I gave a brief interview about the factors influencing my decision after my initial hesitation and the goals I had for participating in the parliamentary elections.

Mr. [Hadi] Nejad Hosseinian, [Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations], came and shared some examples of his work at the U.N. He also explained the rapid globalization of financial transactions via the internet. He expressed his happiness about my registration and said it would bring peace of mind to the people, who are concerned about the future of Parliament.

For Iftar, I hosted the security staff of the Expediency Discernment Council and their families. Later that night, Mr. Masih Mohajeri, [Social Advisor to the President and Editor-in-Chief of Jomhuri Eslami newspaper], visited. He mentioned that people breathed a sigh of relief when they heard about my registration, while the opposition was furious. We discussed the press court, and Mohajeri criticized Mr. Khatami’s remarks, suggesting that they encouraged students to take unauthorized actions.

Sheikh Mohammad Hashemian from Rafsanjan called, requesting that I allow either Mohsen or Fatemeh to run for Parliament from Rafsanjan. He said that both rival factions had reached an agreement, and if one of them ran, the entire competition and conflict would be resolved. I explained that Mohsen, due to his commitments to the metro project, could not run, and Fatemeh, due to the aftermath of her accident, was not physically ready for such an endeavor.

In the United States, under President [Bill Clinton], negotiations between Syria and Israel resumed today after a four-year hiatus, with discussions about Lebanon also on the table. A major development in Palestine-related matters seems likely. Today, documents were signed by Jimmy Carter and the President of Panama regarding the handover of the Panama Canal, and the people of Panama celebrated with demonstrations.

Sheikh Abbas Pourmohammadi from Rafsanjan also requested a phone conversation, likely to follow up on Sheikh Mohammad Hashemian's proposal. Mohsen mentioned that the Tehran Governor’s Office had invited him to serve as a trustee on the electoral executive committee in Tehran, and I said I had no objection.