Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – April 13, 1983

After the prayer, I studied until eight in the morning. Colonel Sayyad Shirazi, using coded communication, explained the situation at the front and the future plan. The enemy's resistance is strong.

Before noon, I had several meetings. A group from the student branch of the [Islamic Republic] Party came. They explained the quality of education and asked for guidance. I told them a few things. Mr. [Abdolrahim] Gavahi, our ambassador to Japan, came and gave a report on his work. He believes he has brought the Japanese much closer to us.

[Mr. Ebrahim Younes], the Syrian ambassador in Tehran, came and discussed the non-Islamic Iraqi groups that oppose Saddam and are based in Syria and Libya. He wanted to understand our position. He said they wanted to take our views into account and would even expel them if we said so. I told him that we rely on the people, not on groups, and that we want Islam to prevail, and that we have chosen the "Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq" as the محور.

[Mr. Mohammad Asghari], the Minister of Justice, also came and spoke about his limited authority and his need for a house next to Parliament. Iran's ambassadors to South Yemen, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Romania came and reported on their areas of assignment and sought advice on their positions. We went with the members of the Mines Commission to the Guardian Council to resolve the problem with the mining law. The Guardian Council disagrees with Parliament regarding mines located on private property, especially large underground mines; we discussed it and came close to resolving the disagreement. We also talked about the bill concerning the Ministry of Jihad [for Construction]. The problem may be resolved. I returned to my office.

The Parliament's public relations official came and raised matters about his work and establishing relations with the world's parliaments. In the afternoon, the Board of Directors held a meeting. Mr. Mohammad Khamenei [Second Deputy Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly] wants to take action against the Supreme Judicial Council, which is not accountable to Parliament. At night, I had an interview with the IRGC's training department about the effects of the war.

The Supreme Defense Council held a meeting. They reported that in Operation Valfajr [One], so far we have had 480 martyrs, about 6,000 wounded—1,600 of whom have been hospitalized—and 400 missing. 180 square kilometers of Iraqi territory have been liberated, including a number of oil wells. The Army's [Joint] Staff presented a report on the armies of Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Soviet Union, and the possible dangers they pose to us and ways of defending against them. Late at night, I gave an interview and returned home.