Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – April 12, 1983

I went to Parliament early in the morning. I called the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters; the situation is not bad, but overall it has been unsuccessful. To prevent the impact of Iraq's and the enemies' heavy negative propaganda and to preserve the morale of the fighters, we thought it necessary to speak more about it. Before the agenda, I spoke about the operation and its successes. Several bills were approved. Mr. [Mohammad Gharazi], the Oil Minister, answered [the representatives'] questions about the oil shortage. The credentials of Mr. [Seyed Taqi] Khamoushi, the Tehran representative, were brought up. Mr. Fouad Karimi [the Ahvaz representative] first presented his objection, and Mr. Khamoushi defended himself. Some people were angered by some of the accusations made by Mr. Karimi. The rest of the defense was postponed until the next session. Arguments broke out after the session. During the proceedings, reports came in that we had carried out another operation today and had been successful.

In the afternoon, Mr. [Mohammad Reza] Faker, the Imam's representative in the Revolutionary Guards, came to see me. He complained about the Guards' command. He said it shuns discipline and is plagued by suspicion. We must work to remove suspicion for the sake of creating mutual understanding.

A group of television employees who work in Parliament came and explained their work program and their problems. A group from the country's central security office also came. They gave a report on their work. I spoke to them. Mr. Yaghoubi from the Central Bank came. He complained about the bank's president and considered him incompetent. Early in the evening, Dr. [Mohammad Taqi] Banki came with his deputies. We performed the Maghrib prayer together. They explained the five-year [national development] plan, and we had a brief discussion. They have no experience in writing long-term plans; they should make use of others' experience.

I stayed in Parliament for the night. I read the reports. I signed the promotion and adjustment orders for Parliament employees under the new law; more than eighty orders, each requiring several signatures. The new law has increased salaries. Some experienced workers receive more than nine thousand tomans [in wages].

Late at night, I contacted the front; they said the enemy's counterattack had reached its peak, and hundreds of artillery shells and mortars were constantly raining fire on the liberated areas. Mr. Raisi[Tousi] from the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization came and said he had left them and wanted a job at a university or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He expressed concern about the advance of the conservatives. People of this type usually say the same thing and analyze that the conservatives will eventually push the Imam's line out of the field.