Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – April 26, 1983

Early in the morning I went to Parliament. I read the reports. The Kuwait Convention [on Environmental Protection] had convened a meeting to resolve the problem of the damaged Nowruz oil wells; we need to make an effort to get it resolved.

They say the danger from the leaked oil is also approaching our shores. Before the agenda, I spoke about the Iraqi air incursion and the bombing of Pol-e Dokhtar, which martyred more than 20 people, injured more than 80, and destroyed many homes.

In the pre-agenda speeches by the representatives, the executive officials were criticized. An urgent bill on the scope of the powers [and jurisdiction of the prosecutors' offices and] Revolutionary Courts was under discussion. I handed the session over to Mr. Yazdi. I went to my office. Mr. [Mohammad Mehdi] Rabbani Amlashi came; we talked about the country's overall situation, nuclear energy, the state of the Guardian Council, the duties of the Leadership, Velayat-e Faqih, and the conspiracy that the enemies had begun against me. Mr. [Abolqasem] Khazali came and thanked me for my statements in last Friday's prayer against the Marxists. He defended those remarks and recommended that Dr. Shariati's anniversary not be commemorated on too grand a scale. Mr. Jannati came, and we talked about the Guardian Council and the conspiracy that Mr. Rabbani had mentioned. Dr. [Mahmoud Rezaei] Hanjani [representative of Karaj] came and complained about Mr. Katiraei and the calligraphers [Parliament stewards].

At noon, Engineer [Ezzatollah] Sahabi came and sought permission for the Freedom Movement to establish a university. He also spoke about the war and other economic and political issues. He proposed ending the war. Mr. Jafari Rizi came and complained about unemployment and poverty. Mr. [Abbas Ali] Bahari [Ardeshiri, representative of Sari] came. He complained about the clerics of Mazandaran and criticized the lack of progress and the economic problems.

In the afternoon, a group of Central Bank employees came and complained about Mr. [Mohsen] Nourbakhsh for neglecting the Islamic Association and favoring the non-committed. People from the Revolutionary Court of Khuzestan came and complained about the representatives of that province. Mr. [Ali] Movahedi Saveji [representative of Saveh] came and reported on his trip to Libya. He wanted land to build a house in Tehran. Reza Lajevardi, a former prosecutor's office officer at the airport, complained that the Imam's Follow-up Headquarters had expelled him and his colleagues; I spoke with Mr. [Mousavi] Ardebili. They said there were many violations, acts of bullying, and lawlessness there.

Mr. Mohsen Rezaei [commander of the Revolutionary Guards] came with Mr. [Ali] Shamkhani [in charge of the Tudeh Party case]. They spoke about the Tudeh Party coup and said that some of the confessions had been retracted. We discussed the war, Lebanon, the Guards' problems, and the uncertainty surrounding their duties and powers. Mr. Sanjaqi came from Kurdistan and spoke about the recent successes of the Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shohada Headquarters and its future plans, and requested help with the budget and propaganda. I gave some recommendations about arming the villages. He said that the rejection of the credentials of Mr. [Jasim] Saadati, the representative of Mahabad, had not had a negative effect on the people. My brother Mohammad [managing director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting] came and complained that the managing director's powers had been reduced in the IRIB charter.

At night, we held a meeting at the President's office with the heads of the three branches of government and my brother Mohammad. The Supreme Judicial Council's complaints about IRIB and its shortcomings were discussed. Explanations were given and decisions were made. We also discussed Libya's request for me or the President to travel to Libya, or for Mr. [Muammar] Gaddafi [leader of the Libyan Arab Republic] to come to Iran. It was decided that action would be taken after consulting the Imam. We also consulted about the future Minister of Intelligence; we reached no conclusion. I returned home late at night.