Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - May 16, 2000 - Continued Repercussions of the Espionage Trial in the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shiraz and the Trial of the Accused in the Assassination of Saeed Hajjarian and Others

Consultation meeting with Abdolnasser Hemmati regarding his decision to continue his membership in the Kargozaran party.

Consultation meeting with Seyyed Ahmad Mousavi on his affairs in Lebanon, though Hashemi preferred not to provide more details.

Consultation and discussion with Seyyed Hossein Marashi on how the reformist faction should respond to Ayatollah Khamenei’s recent Friday sermon.

Consultation with Javad Maqsoudi, head of Tehran’s Friday Prayer Headquarters.

Continued deliberations by the Guardian Council on the annulment of the Tehran elections, this time with Sheikh Mohammad Reza Abbasi-Fard.

Continued Repercussions of the Espionage Trial in the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shiraz and the Trial of the Accused in the Assassination of Saeed Hajjarian and Others.

Mr. [Abdolnasser] Hemmati, head of Central Insurance and a member of the Central Council of the Kargozaran Party, came and presented a report on the differences of opinion within Kargozaran and the left-leaning tendencies of some members. He sought advice on whether to stay or resign. I advised him to stay. Mr. Seyyed Ahmad Mousavi came and discussed the difficulties he encountered in handing over his work in Lebanon to Hezbollah, seeking assistance.

Mr. Hossein Marashi, [MP from Kerman], came. He said that in a meeting of second Khordad [reformist] representatives, they debated whether to issue a statement welcoming the Leader’s remarks in the Friday sermon. Due to opposition from Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi] Khoeiniha, the statement was not approved, but they permitted Mr. Behzad Nabavi to express support in an interview. We also discussed the parliament’s situation and the Tehran elections; he asked whether I would enter parliament, to which I responded that it was still undecided.

Mr. Javad Maqsoudi, head of the Friday Prayer Headquarters in Tehran, came and requested that I participate in the ceremony commemorating the martyrs of the Haft-e Tir bombing and sought financial assistance for the Headquarters' religious sessions. In the afternoon, Mr. [Mohammad Reza] Abbasi-Fard, [member of the Guardian Council and Director-General of the Expediency Council], visited and stated that the Tehran election is likely to be annulled. However, it seems unlikely that the Guardian Council will vote for annulment; instead, several ballot boxes may be invalidated, and a few candidates might proceed to the second round. He recounted his meeting with Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami and Mr. [Mehdi] Karroubi—at their request—where they asked him to help in securing approval for the Tehran election results, but he did not make any promises.

Today, two of the Jewish defendants in court confessed to espionage, which has embarrassed Israel and the West, as they had claimed the accused were innocent. Some second Khordad factions have objected to the court’s ruling on the attackers of Mr. [Saeed] Hajjarian.