Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - September 8, 2000 - Continuing Developments Regarding Seyyed Mohammad Khatami's Trip to New York

The most important entry of the day concerns Hashemi's private meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei.

Continuation of the Assembly of Experts and preparation of the final statement for this assembly.

Ongoing controversies surrounding the Office for Strengthening Unity in Khorramabad, including the beating of Noorollah Abedi, the then Governor of the province, and the statement from the Office for Strengthening Unity addressed to Ayatollah Khamenei, seeking clarification on the leader's position regarding these events.

The arrest of the late Mohammad Ali Jodari Faroghi, a lawyer, and the related issues.

Hashemi's account of the ongoing disputes of recent days, which he limited to four individuals without naming them.

Additional controversies in New York during the presence of the Iranian delegation dispatched by Ayatollah Khamenei, which took a different turn when Ayatollah Sheikh Abdullah Javadi Amoli failed to read the Supreme Leader's message.

The launch of Iran's first domestically produced submarine.

The most important entry of the day is Hashemi's private meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei, despite the latter's illness, addressing topics that Hashemi (the narrator) swiftly glossed over:

1. Solutions for public opposition to Ayatollah Khamenei.
2. Consultation regarding the upcoming presidential term and a reiteration from Ayatollah Khamenei concerning his considerations about Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and his associates.
3. Consultation regarding the situation of Ataollah Mohajerani, who was embroiled in his legal case in the Judicial Complex for Government Employees due to a complaint by Ebrahim Raisi, the then head of the General Inspection Organization, and previously mentioned details in Abdi Media, as well as Abdullah Nouri, who was serving his prison sentence.

Continued discussions and claims from the President's office and the Military Judiciary regarding the cases of the accused and convicted individuals in the serial murders.

The morning and afternoon were dedicated to the Assembly of Experts. Ultimately, the statement from the Assembly was prepared and approved. Today, in Khorramabad, during the funeral of Ardshir Karami, a martyr officer, Noorollah Abedi, the governor who reportedly supports the Office for Strengthening Unity, was beaten and hospitalized. The Office for Strengthening Unity has requested that the leadership clarify their position regarding the pressure group Hezbollah and the issues in Khorramabad. The disputes over these issues, the press, and arrests continue, and with the arrest of Mr. Mohammad Ali Jodari, a lawyer, tensions have escalated. These disputes were present in the Assembly of Experts, but they were subdued, as the reformists only numbered four.

In New York, the Mojahedin staged protests against the Iranian delegation sent by the leadership to participate in the meeting of world religious leaders, and Ayatollah Abdullah Javadi Amoli, who was supposed to read the leader's message this morning, did not attend the meeting due to illness, which raises further questions.

Today, Iran's first domestically produced submarine, which had been commissioned and initiated under my direction five years ago, was launched in Bandar Abbas, marking a significant development in Iran's military industry.

Yesterday, the 535-meter tall tower in Moscow, the tallest building in the world, caught fire, adding to the tragedy following the sinking of the submarine. Meanwhile, the Chechen leader, Akhmad Kadyrov, declared that the sinking of the submarine and the fire at the Moscow tower were the work of Chechen fighters. Many telecommunications and television services in Moscow have been disrupted.

In the evening, I was a guest of the leadership. He is suffering from back pain and is enduring it with a medical belt. We discussed the public dissent against the leadership following the silencing of the press reform bill and explored remedies for negotiation. We also discussed the upcoming presidency. He believes that Mr. Khatami must clarify his position regarding individuals opposing the Islamic system. Discussions were held regarding the situation of Mr. Abdullah Nouri, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Khordad, and Mr. Ataollah Mohajerani, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance. The intense dispute between the presidency and the military court continues.