Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - September 22, 2001 - Review of the Dimensions of the September 11 Attacks in the Assembly of Experts for Leadership

• Review of the dimensions of the September 11 attacks in the United States during the session of the Assembly of Experts for Leadership.
• Important report by Hassan Rouhani, then Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, on the contradictory and non-unified actions regarding the events of September 11.
• Report by Tahmasb Mazaheri, Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, to the Assembly.
• Reminder from Hashemi Rafsanjani to Hashemi Shahroudi to summon Hassan Habibi, former Vice President, for investigation in the case against Hadi Mohajeri.
• Continued political discussions on the sidelines of the Assembly session with prominent figures in politics and religious circles.

Full Diary Entry:

The first session of the [Expediency Discernment Council] after the holidays was held. A significant portion of the time was spent discussing issues related to the September 11 attacks in the United States, the potential reactions, and Iran's stance.

Dr. [Hassan] Rouhani, [Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council], presented a report on the actions of the Supreme National Security Council and the leader’s reminders. Many criticized actions perceived as signs of weakness or fear, such as Mr. [Ahmad] Boroujerdi's visit to the Swiss embassy to sign a condolence book on behalf of the parliamentary leadership, which Mr. [Mahdi] Karroubi claimed was done at the suggestion of the Foreign Ministry, though the Ministry denied this. Additionally, the removal of the "Death to America" slogan from Friday prayers, the origin of which remains unclear, was also discussed. It was decided to investigate this matter, along with a minute of silence observed during a football match at Azadi Stadium and the negligence that led to the gathering of 100 or 200 people in Mohseni Square to express sympathy. There were serious doubts regarding the reasons for the British Foreign Minister's visit to Iran and the positive reactions to Mr. Khatami’s statements.

The consensus among the members of the Council was that the U.S. and U.K. should not be allowed to separate Iran from other Muslims who oppose U.S. adventurism or perceive weakness on Iran’s part.

Mr. [Tahmasb] Mazaheri, the new Minister of Economy, explained the economic problems that arose for the U.S. and the world, leading to a 10% drop in Western stock markets and significant losses for insurance, tourism, air transport, and hospitality companies, many of which are on the brink of bankruptcy. He noted that the U.S. is providing tens of billions of dollars in aid and that Western and Japanese central banks are injecting hundreds of billions of dollars in currency to prevent a recession, which existed even before the events in the U.S., impacting even the Iranian stock market, which is not connected to global exchanges, leading to fluctuations and a drop in share prices.

We approved two clauses of the national security policies in the economic sector aimed at supporting the private and cooperative sectors against the public sector while considering the country’s capabilities in international commitments. I reminded Mr. Hashemi Shahroudi, [Head of the Judiciary], about Mr. Masihe Mohajeri's brother. It became known that the court summoned Dr. [Hassan] Habibi, [former Vice President], as a witness, and it was decided that inquiries would be made at his office. Dr. Habibi also consulted with me on this matter.

At noon, Messrs. [Abbas Vaez] Tabasi, [Ali Akbar] Nateq Nouri, [Ahmad] Jannati, [Ghorbanali] Dorri Najafabadi, and [Mohammad Ali] Mohajerani were my guests. We discussed the intensification of monopolistic tendencies among the second Khordad activists in government posts and criticized the Leader's Office for not addressing the dangers arising from their actions, deciding that follow-ups were necessary. Mr. Tabasi stated that reports of his son Nasser being imprisoned, which appeared in some newspapers, were false. I suggested it would be better to issue a denial.

In the evening, Mr. Mohsen Rezai, [Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council], came and provided an analysis of America's objectives for its invasion of Afghanistan. He believes the intention is to establish a presence in the region for dominance over the Persian Gulf, the Caspian region, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, which seems unrealistic.

The European Union, while supporting the U.S. action against Afghanistan, conditioned its support on justifying the objectives and acting within international regulations. Most Islamic countries opposed the unilateral U.S. attack on Afghanistan, stating that decisions should be made within the United Nations. Numerous demonstrations against U.S. warmongering have taken place in many countries, including within the U.S.

In Pakistan, four people were killed during demonstrations, and Pervez Musharraf, [President], declared that he would not allow further disruption of order. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have severed their ties with the Taliban under U.S. pressure.