Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – April 13, 1999

We went from home to the Army Joint Staff. After a formal military reception, we held discussions with senior commanders, including Mr. [Hassan] Firouzabadi, Mr. [Ali] Shahbazi, Mr. [Ali] Shamkhani, Mr. [Mostafa] Torabi, Mr. [Abbas] Mohtaj, and others. We then went to the general assembly of the Army’s commanders from across the country, held at the newly built mosque. General Shahbazi, [Commander-in-Chief of the Army], gave a report on the assembly, which had been convened on the eve of Army Day, April 18. I also gave a speech, speaking about the importance of the Imam’s decision to retain the Army after the Revolution and the contributions the Army had made, and continues to make, to the Revolution. I also discussed the hostility of counterrevolutionary groups toward the Army and drew parallels between the assassinations of Martyr [Mohammad Vali] Qarani and Martyr [Ali] Sayyad Shirazi.

I attended the memorial service for Martyr Sayyad [Shirazi] at Shahid Motahari School and offered my condolences to Sayyad’s children. Mr. [Morteza] Moqtadaei, [Prosecutor General], was there and asked to meet with me, presumably to discuss Mr. [Gholamhossein] Karbaschi’s case.

I went to my office. We held a meeting of the Presiding Board of the [Assembly of] Experts, and they were also my guests for lunch. Mr. [Ebrahim] Amini raised his resignation as Secretary, citing the pressure being exerted on him by the hard-line supporters of Velayat, the demand for the dismissal of two of his colleagues who had supported [Mohsen] Kadivar, and the criticism directed at the Secretariat during the Assembly’s session. We did not accept his resignation. Mr. [Seyyed Hassan] Taheri Khorramabadi had been asked to participate in leading the Friday prayers in Tehran, given Mr. [Mohammad] Emami-Kashani’s illness. He consulted us, and we approved. We also discussed the problems and possible negative developments surrounding the upcoming parliamentary elections, as well as possible qualified candidates to head the Judiciary after Mr. [Mohammad] Yazdi.

In the afternoon, Dr. [Majid] Abbaspour, head of the special military industries, and his colleagues came. They gave a report on their progress and their cooperation with the Chemical Weapons Convention. I also gave them an encouraging talk.

Faezeh and Hossein Marashi came. They brought the draft statement of the [Executives of Construction Party] regarding the issue of Zan newspaper, and I gave them some advice. They said that the right-wing faction appeared to have organized a campaign to drive the Executives of Construction Party out of the political arena, and that they had started with Faezeh because she had played the greatest role in their defeat.