Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - May 6, 2000 - Meeting with Mohsen Rezai and the idea of establishing a political party led by him

‍ Meeting with Mohsen Rezai and the idea of establishing a political party led by him

Meeting with Hossein Mahlouji, who continued to express grievances about the problems he faced from the General Inspection Organization and other supervisory bodies, which ultimately led to his exoneration; he later published his memoirs in a book.

Discussion with Mohsen Rezai about his idea of forming a political party where he would be the leader.

Continued accounts and consultations involving Ali Larijani and the follow-up from Seyed Ali Asghar Hajazi, Deputy of the Leader's Office, regarding the unilateral actions of Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i as head of the Special Court (notably, the title of "Special Prosecutor for Clerics" was incorrectly used). This occurred without coordination with the special committee set up for the closure of the newspaper "Sobhe Emruz," particularly during the trial of Saeed Hajarian (eventually, this newspaper was also suspended later).

Meeting with Amir Tehrani, then Deputy Minister of Intelligence, where he recounted the pressure exerted by Seyed Mohammad Khatami on the minister to remove opposing reformist forces, illustrating the behavior of the deputy and assistants in meetings with Hashemi against their own minister.

The most significant part of the day was a private meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei.

The Supreme Leader recounted his meeting with Sheikh Mehdi Karroubi, Behzad Nabavi, Mohammad Ali Najafi, Mohammad Reza Khatami, and Mohammad Salamati regarding press closures and their confrontational attitudes. He described rejecting Seyed Mohammad Khatami's plea for the press.

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized to Hashemi that Sheikh Abdollah Noori, who was imprisoned, should no longer be considered a member of the Expediency Council without an official notification to the Council.

Interestingly, despite Hashemi’s previous notes and necessary coordination, Ayatollah Khamenei told him, "Although I expected action from the judiciary after Thursday's discussions, I had no news of what they were doing."

Mr. [Hossein] Mahlouji, former Minister of Mines and Metals, repeated points from previous meetings, discussing the government and left-wing faction’s shortcomings, and expressed hope for the continuation of recent leadership actions.

Dr. [Abbas] Shibani, a representative from Tehran, asked for a meeting time for the members of the Islamic Physicians Association, noting that he was editing the incomplete notes from the Revolutionary Council's discussions.

Mr. Mohsen Rezai, Secretary of the Expediency Council, expressed his intent to form a party and sought advice. Ali Larijani arrived and mentioned that following the suspension of "Sobhe Emruz," Mr. [Seyed Mahmoud] Hashemi-Shahroudi, head of the judiciary, requested the ban be lifted, especially as today was Saeed Hajarian's trial. Later, Seyed Ali Asghar Hajazi from the Leader’s office stated that Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i acted unilaterally in the suspension, which was supposed to be consulted collectively, and the ruling was rescinded.

Mr. [Ali] Larijani also brought a three-hour film of the Berlin Conference and consulted about broadcasting additional segments. I said I would comment after viewing it. He reported on activities by the [Unity] Office in support of the suspended newspapers. Amir Tehrani from the Ministry of Intelligence came and discussed the pressure from Seyed Mohammad Khatami on the Ministry to purify opposing leftist forces and the weakness of [Ali] Younesi, the Minister of Intelligence, in this regard. In the evening, I gave an interview to the media about the history of the revolution and the clergy movement.

That night, I was a guest of the Supreme Leader, who appeared unwell and fatigued. He mentioned that today, Maziar Karroubi, Behzad Nabavi, Mohammad Ali Najafi, Mohammad Reza Khatami, and Mohammad Salamati had come to request an end to the newspaper suspensions.

Najafi and Behzad spoke harshly, leading to a strong reaction from him; they were taken aback. He mentioned that Mr. Khatami also requested intercession this afternoon to alleviate pressure on the press, but the Leader explained the risks of this media situation to him and them.

He stated that Abdullah Noori should no longer be considered a member of the Expediency Council. Khatami indicated that if they had waited ten days, he would have corrected the issues himself, but the Leader noted that he had repeatedly warned him, and he had not acted. Although he expected action from the judiciary after Thursday’s discussions, he was unaware of what they were doing. There were protests at several universities today opposing the newspaper closures.