Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - March 25, 2001 The circumstances surrounding the arrest of Ebrahim Sheikh, a prominent member of the Office for Strengthening Unity.

Akbar Hashemi's Memoirs - March 25, 2001

The circumstances surrounding the arrest of Ebrahim Sheikh, a prominent member of the Office for Strengthening Unity.

A meeting and report by Akbar Peymanpour on the situation in Kish Island, with an emphasis on how the new management of the Kish Free Zone Organization is increasingly influenced by the ideas and opinions of Seyed Hossein Mousavian.

A visit to Kish’s development projects, especially the grand Dariush Hotel, financed by Hossein Sabet (who later left Iran due to certain conditions and recounted some very bitter experiences.

I stayed at the residence. The sea is a bit stormy, and the wind is blowing; unlike the previous calm days, I didn’t go swimming. Along the pier, a large number of small fish had gathered in clusters, affected by the sea’s turbulence; I had never seen such a scene before. A large amount of seaweed had accumulated on the shore.

Mr. [Akbar] Peymanpour, [CEO of Marjan Kish Company], came. He said that for the past few months, Kish Island has seen a revival, with more tourists and reduced customs restrictions. Mr. [Hossein] Ghasemi, [CEO of the Kish Free Zone], along with the team he has brought in, is acting more realistically. His main influence comes from the ideas of Mr. [Hossein] Mousavian. He mentioned that Mr. [Mohammad Reza] Yazdanpanah, with his newspaper, harmed both himself and Kish Island. At that time, when the newspaper was taking an aggressive tone, we met with him and warned him that he was heading down the wrong path and losing his support base. Even if he apologizes now, it’s unclear whether he can recover, and apparently, some of his colleagues had dragged him into this situation.

At night, we drove around the island for about two hours to see the state of Kish, and Mr. Ghasemi provided a report. I visited the construction of the grand Cheshmandaz Hotel, which is being built with the investment of Mr. [Hossein] Sabet; it is impressive. They said it would be completed by mid-year.

Foreign Persian-language media are focusing on the arrest of one of the leaders of the Office for Strengthening Unity—Mr. Ebrahim Sheikh—on the first working day of the new year, and they view it as a sign of the policy of the "Year of National Strength." Radio [Voice of] America aired an analysis from one of the anti-revolutionary leaders, Asad Homayoun, who said that the government has not fulfilled its election promises and is now drowning.