Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - July 29, 2000 - Meeting with Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of the Expediency Council, Seeking Permission to Travel to the U.S. with Mohammad Khatami on the Pretext of Visiting Ahmad Rezaei

Concerns of Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi, Accused of Involvement in the Chain Murders, Regarding Potential Reversal of Non-Prosecution Orders by Tehran’s Military Prosecutor's Office

Further Reflection of Ayatollah Khamenei’s Informal Displeasure over President Khatami Raising the Issue of the Chain Murders in the Expediency Council

Meeting with Sheikh Hassan Sane’i and His Caution to Hashemi about the Inappropriateness of Khatami Bringing Up the Issue in the Council

Report by Mohsen Nourbakhsh on Government Manipulation of Currency for Political Gain
Meeting with Syed Hafiz Riaz Naqvi and Lahore’s Shiite Clerics from Pakistan

Mr. [Ghorbanali] Dorri [Najafabadi], President of the Administrative Justice Court [and former Minister of Intelligence], visited me. He expressed concern over accusations directed at him regarding the Chain Murders and the possibility of his indictment being raised in court. We discussed potential solutions. Mr. Hassan Sane’i [Head of the Fifteenth of Khordad Foundation] came and said it was not advisable for President Khatami to speak on the murders in the [Expediency Council], as figures like Mr. [Ali Akbar] Nateq [Nouri] would likely raise serious questions about the interrogations conducted under Khatami’s oversight, which could lead to complications.

Mr. [Mohsen] Nourbakhsh [Governor of the Central Bank of Iran] came and mentioned that some in the government were considering artificially lowering the currency’s value to boost their standing in the upcoming [presidential] election. This, he warned, could destabilize the economy. Mr. Mohsen Rezaei [Secretary of the Expediency Council] visited, expressing concern over the differences in opinions and the Leader’s views on reforms proposed by the Second of Khordad faction. He sought permission to accompany Mr. Khatami to the U.S. in hopes of meeting his son, Ahmad, and rescuing him from American influence.

In the afternoon, a group of Pakistani scholars, led by Syed Hafiz Riaz Naqvi, Head of Jamia Al-Muntazar in Lahore, visited. They provided an overview of the situation of Shiites and Shiite clergy in Pakistan. They run around 300 religious schools, and stipends amounting to 15,000 tomans are provided to students by the Leader and Mr. [Seyyed Ali] Sistani. The status of Shiite preachers is good, but security for Shiites is poor. Sipah-e-Sahaba is the source of instability, and Sipah-e-Muhammad, which countered their violence, has been nearly dismantled. They expressed concern over the internal conflicts in Iran, which they said have disheartened Shiites worldwide. They voiced hope that I could help reforge alliances, as I had done in the past. They also sought permission to translate my books into Urdu and publish them.

[Bill Clinton], the U.S. President, displeased with [Yasser] Arafat’s [President of the Palestinian Authority] resistance, has threatened to relocate the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and warned that a unilateral declaration by the Palestinians could be dangerous.