Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's Diary - May 24, 1999 - Aftermath of Seyed Mohammad Khatami's Pragmatic Speech at Tehran University

Aftermath of Seyed Mohammad Khatami's Pragmatic Speech at Tehran University

Rafsanjani's account of the Assembly of Experts members' request for a statement in support of Ayatollah Khamenei's remarks.

A group of Assembly of Experts members were discussing the need for the judiciary to implement the Supreme Leader's statements, seemingly unaware of the background and Hashemi, like the meeting of the Strategic Research Center's deputies mentioned in previous days' entries, preferred not to mention that this speech was the result of almost a year of coordination.

Sheikh Abdolmajid Moadiخواه, the head of the Islamic Revolution History Foundation, requested assistance from Hashemi in resolving the foundation's land issue, and Sheikh Abolfazl Shokouri asked Hashemi to advise the "Kargozaran" party to cover his election campaign expenses.

Akbar Ganji's arrest as the first individual detained following Ayatollah Khamenei's remarks, approved by a committee including Hadi Marvi, Ebrahim Raisi, Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i, and Abdolreza Eizadpanah, under the order and selection of Hashemi Shahroudi, the then-head of the judiciary.

The aftermath of Seyed Mohammad Khatami's pragmatic speech at Tehran University

The Assembly of Experts held a meeting. Members requested a statement in support of the Leader's remarks and the implementation of their views. The general policies of the transportation sector were also approved. In the afternoon, Messrs. [Mohammadreza Mahdavi Kani, Mohammad Yazdi, Abbas Va'ez] Tabasi, [Ahmad] Jannati, [Ali Akbar] Nateq [Nouri], and [Ghorbanali] Dorri [Najafabadi] were my guests. They discussed the Tehran elections, emphasizing the need for a recount to clarify any ambiguities and the importance of the judiciary's follow-up on the Leader's views on the press.

In the evening, Messrs. [Abdolmajid] Moadiخواه (head of the Islamic Revolution History Foundation) and [Abolfazl] Shokouri came and asked me to resolve the land issue the foundation faced with Tehran's Municipality (District 3). We discussed the possible consequences of the current disputes. Mr. Shokouri, who had advanced to the second round of elections in Zanjan, asked me to tell the "Kargozaran" party to cover his campaign expenses. I told Mr. [Morteza] Alviri (Tehran's mayor) to assist in resolving the land issue of the Islamic Revolution History Foundation.

Today, Mr. Akbar Ganji was imprisoned, and similar individuals are worried. The reformist press is also concerned about the possibility of closure. Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami (the president) made ambiguous statements about current events at Tehran University, which apparently will not satisfy either side. Right-wing media have asked him to clarify his position.

I hope this translation is helpful. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if you'd like me to elaborate on any specific part.