Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - May 30, 2000 - Continued Reactions to Hashemi's Withdrawal from the Sixth Parliament

Meeting with Ali Naqi Khamoushi and Ali Abdollahian, the then-President and Vice-President of the Iran Chamber of Commerce.

Meeting with Gholamreza Forouzeh, Behrouz Khajavi, Behrouz Aminfar, Mohammadreza Hafezi, and Abdolhamid Riyazi regarding the Milad Tower.

Meeting with Seyed Mohammad Ali Ayazi, who reported on the situation in the Qom Seminary and expressed criticism of the treatment of Ayatollah Montazeri, followed by Hashemi's response.

Meeting with Hossein Mahlouji, who voiced complaints about the problems caused by the General Inspection Organization and the Judiciary, though he was later acquitted of these charges.

Meeting with Sheikh Hossein Navab, with Hashemi declining to inaugurate the Sheikh Tusi Congress.

Continued reactions to Hashemi's withdrawal from the Sixth Parliament.

Messrs. [Ali Naqi] Khamoushi and [Ali] Abdollahian, [President and Vice-President of the Iran Chamber of Commerce], arrived late and could only speak for a few minutes. They said that your withdrawal made the people both cry and laugh. They are worried about the state of the Parliament without you, but at the same time, they are glad that you have distanced yourself from this Parliament and clarified the situation with your announcement. They urged you to be more active in defending the revolution outside of Parliament. I responded that the Leader should have clear positions for work to proceed.

Mr. [Gholamreza] Forouzeh, [member of the Tehran City Council], accompanied by Messrs. [Behrouz] Khajavi, [CEO of Boland Payeh], [Behrouz] Aminfar, [Mohammadreza] Hafezi, and [Abdolhamid Riyazi], the President of Amirkabir University and the official in charge of constructing Tehran's Milad Tower, came. They provided detailed explanations about the tower; it is the sixth tallest tower in the world. In response to my question as to why they hadn’t built it in a circular shape to reduce the wind pressure, they said that a circular shape poses more of a danger due to the suction created on the side opposite the wind direction. They invited me to visit the site. They expressed happiness over my withdrawal, saying that people understood things better with this action.

Mr. [Seyed Mohammad Ali] Ayazi, [a researcher from the Center for Quranic Culture and Knowledge in Qom], came. He talked about the situation in the Qom Seminary, mentioning the pressures, prosecutions, and mistreatment of Ayatollah Montazeri, and criticized the situation. He said that Ayatollah Montazeri had told him, despite having grievances with me, that he is upset about the mistreatment of him. I responded that he has no reason to hold a grievance against me. Since the time of Imam [Khomeini], I have always worked at a high level to reduce the dangers and pressures on him. Ayazi brought some examples of his Quranic work; he previously worked at the Office of Islamic Propagation [in Qom] on the Tafsir-e Rahnama project. He requested that I become more involved in guiding the students. He also expressed complaints about my recent Friday prayer sermon and some of my other statements that were against the leftist faction.

Mr. [Hossein] Mahlouji, [former Minister of Mines and Metals], came. He sought help regarding the problems that the [General Inspection Organization] and the Judiciary are causing him and expressed his gratitude for my withdrawal. In the afternoon, Mr. [Hossein] Navab, the Friday prayer leader of Qaemshahr, came and requested that I inaugurate the Sheikh Tusi Congress, but I declined. In the media, the discussion of my withdrawal is still being presented positively.