Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - January 23, 2000 - Meeting with Hassan Rouhani and Discussion on His Acceptance in the Assembly of Experts Exam and Whether to Remain in the Sistan Election

A detailed interview was conducted with Iran newspaper in the morning, where significant issues were discussed. In the afternoon, members of the Teachers' Association came, shared their program, and expressed dissatisfaction with [Hussein Mozaffar], the Minister of Education, accusing him of partisanship. They also voiced concerns about the defamation campaign against me by left-wing groups and foreign media.

Later, [Majid Mirzaei], a member of the Free Thinkers' Forum (Chakad Azad Andishan), and [Norollah Hossein Khani], the secretary of Iran-Farda Association, visited. Both are members of Chakad and aim to counter nationalist groups. Some of their members who participated in the war alongside Yasser and Mehdi suggested publicizing their efforts. I told them we had deliberately avoided using such sacrifices, which were made for God's sake, for political purposes. Many of them served as anonymous soldiers on the frontlines back then.

[General Abdolmohammad Roofi-Nejad], the commander of the IRGC in Kerman, came to express gratitude for my Friday prayers sermon, stating that it had uplifted the revolutionary forces and given them hope to counter the disinformation campaign from revisionists and anti-revolutionaries. He complained that the handover of security in the southeast from the IRGC to the police had resulted in renewed instability.

Throughout the week, loyal revolutionary forces have expressed appreciation for my recent sermons, while extremist leftists, anti-revolutionaries, and foreign Persian-language media have been put on the defensive.

In the evening, Dr. Hassan Rouhani, [Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council], visited. He reported on passing the exam for his candidacy in the Assembly of Experts and sought advice on whether to continue or withdraw his candidacy in Sistan, given that [Mohammad Mo'men] was also a candidate. I informed him that the public opinion poll provided by [Mohammad Reza Bahonar] showed that Mo'men had low support while Rouhani's was high, and Mo'men might withdraw. Rouhani was also concerned about not being elected in the first round of the parliamentary elections in Tehran, and it was suggested that he increase his campaign efforts.

He also briefed me on his trip to Russia and Belarus, mentioning discussions with the Russians on achieving strategic cooperation, the legal regime of the Caspian Sea based on a 20% share, issues concerning Armenia and Chechnya, military cooperation, particularly regarding the S-300 air defense system, and collaboration in international forums.