Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - April 15, 2000 - Ayatollah Khamenei's Sharp Attacks on Reformists During Friday Prayers

Ayatollah Khamenei's Sharp Attacks on Reformists During Friday Prayers

Continued studies and the complexity of responding to Sheikh Majid Ansari's letter regarding the Assembly's proposal to limit the right of parliamentary investigation, which I wish Sheikh would complement with his own memoirs alongside Hashemi's notes.

Ayatollah Khamenei launched sharp attacks on reformists during his Friday prayer sermon.

There is some ambiguity in Hashemi's notes regarding "the Mojahedin" (People's Mujahedin of Iran), which claimed that an operational plan to assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei was discovered and neutralized on the way to Friday prayers. 

Do the Mojahedin themselves announce that their plot has been discovered, or is this the responsibility of the government and security agencies?

Continuing developments regarding the trial of Jews accused of espionage in Shiraz.

An important point in Hashemi's notes today is his reference to "foreign news agencies and media," stating that the Leader of the Islamic Republic will make significant remarks in the future, suggesting that the speeches on the first of Farvardin and today’s Friday sermon were merely preliminary. The coordination meeting of Ali Asghar Hojjati with Hashemi was deemed related to this.

Previously, public statements made on April 20, 2000, indicated widespread press bans and increased arrests, particularly stemming from the consultations of Masih Mohajeri, the then-social advisor to the president and director of the *Jomhouri-e Islami* newspaper, which were noted in Hashemi's entries from 1999.

Most of my time today was spent finalizing the memoirs of 1982 [post-crisis]. Fati brought the documents related to the memoirs and consulted with me. Part of the time was spent completing a response to Mr. Majid Ansari’s letter regarding the investigation into institutions under the Leader's supervision. Emad [son of Mohsen], Hassan [son of Fa'ezeh], and Ali [son of Fati] sought help to organize a mourning group.

In his Friday sermon, Ayatollah Khamenei attacked the reformists, explaining the concepts of violence and reformism in Islam, effectively initiating his opposition to them. Many Friday prayer leaders, especially in Rasht, Zahedan, Semnan, and Urmia, also launched sharp criticisms against the government and, particularly, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

The Mojahedin announced that an operational plan to assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei had been discovered and neutralized en route to Friday prayers.

There is significant pressure in Western media regarding the trial of 13 Jewish defendants in Shiraz. Israel has requested the United Nations to officially recognize the borders of Lebanon and Israel as they were in 1987, but this request was rejected; at that time, seven Lebanese villages were occupied by Israel.

Foreign news agencies and media characterized today’s remarks by the Leader during Friday prayers as an overt opposition to President Khatami's government and the so-called reformists, emphasizing that the Leader stated he would have important things to say in the future. They distorted much of his comments in their reports.