Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - May 29, 2000 - Meeting with Amir Tehrani, Deputy Parliamentary Affairs of the Ministry of Intelligence, and Security Recommendations to Hashemi

Meeting with Amir Tehrani, Deputy Parliamentary Affairs of the Ministry of Intelligence, and his security recommendations to Hashemi, stressing the necessity of supporting Sheikh Ali Younesi to help control the situation.

Continued political, press, and electoral consultations with Sheikh Masih Mohajeri.

Meeting and political reports from Mohammadreza Mokhber Dezfuli and Ezzatollah Zarghami with Hashemi, particularly regarding the treatment of Seyed Mohammad Khatami by a portion of the public and Friday prayer leaders during his recent trip to Khuzestan.

Mr. [Amir] Tehrani from the Ministry of Intelligence came by. He provided a report on the varying opinions among the reformist factions regarding the members of the Parliamentary leadership, noting that today, due to lack of agreement, the Parliament did not hold a session and postponed it to Tuesday to resolve differences. He requested that we find a way to strengthen [Ali Younesi], the Minister of Intelligence, so that due to his weakness, he doesn't give in to the reformists. He also brought several confidential bulletins.

Mr. Masih Mohajeri, [Presidential Advisor and Editor-in-Chief of the "Jomhuri Eslami" newspaper], came as well. He expressed doubts about the Leader's decision and showed happiness over my withdrawal, discussing future collaboration and seeking advice for a special meeting.

In the afternoon, Mr. [Mohammadreza] Mokhber Dezfuli, [Head of the Consultative Commission of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution], and [Ezzatollah] Zarghami, [Deputy of Parliament and Provincial Affairs at IRIB], came. They expressed disappointment at my absence from Parliament but viewed my withdrawal as a wise decision for this period. We discussed the Parliament, countering the attacks of the opposition, and the need for a more active presence on the political scene. Additionally, we talked about the unfavorable state of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and the need to strengthen the supervisory role of the Expediency Council.

Mr. Zarghami mentioned that in Khorramshahr, people greeted [President Seyed Mohammad] Khatami with coldness, voicing their cries of poverty and hardship. The Friday prayer leaders of Ahvaz, Abadan, and Khorramshahr did not meet with him either. The only presentable project is the pipeline coating facility that Mehdi [CEO of the Engineering and Marine Installations Company] established in Khorramshahr. Now there is concern about a lack of public support in Khorasan for his upcoming trip, and IRIB has been asked to work more actively to encourage public participation.

In the evening, I went to Akhtar Hospital for dental work. Dr. Saeed Lahouti, [Fatemeh’s husband], and another doctor performed a scaling procedure and cleaned and fixed the gums. Discussions in the media regarding my withdrawal are still ongoing. There are continuing disputes over the Shebaa Farms in southern Lebanon; Israel does not recognize them as part of Lebanon, claiming they belong to Syria, while Syria asserts that they are part of Lebanon.