Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – January 15, 1989

The guards woke me up at five in the morning. I had breakfast and didn't sleep anymore. I did the work until eight o'clock in the morning. Mr. [Mortaza] Alviri came. We negotiated the budget amendment. Before the start of the meeting, we talked with the representatives about the opinion of the Ministers of Economy and Planning and Budget, regarding the need to keep the budget deduction discussions secret and the harm of broadcasting it from the Parliament podium. It was decided to talk about this in the evening meeting. I stayed in the meeting until half past ten. The plan to amend the bylaws, which took three sessions, remained silent because of its rawness.

Before noon [Vartan] Vartanian and [Artaus] Baghomian, Armenian representatives came. They have returned from a trip to the Soviet Union. They had gone to take aid to the earthquake victims of Gan [Armenia]. They gave a report and brought the letter of the leader of all Armenians who is in Russia, and a photo album of the manifestations and areas of earthquake damage.

At noon, Mr. [Amin] Biank, the representative of Ahvaz, came. He supported [Mohsen Mirdamadi] the governor regarding the issues of Khuzestan and received a share of five hundred thousand foreign currency to equip Ahvaz Hospital. Mr. Hosni Saadi came in the evening. He reported the situation of the front and asked for help and asked for the commanders to be promoted. Brigadier Salehi came. He talked about military education policies and criticized the disobedience of some soldiers; We were supposed to be strict.

I ate iftar in my office. The bodyguards had given me chalukbab. I did the work until half past seven and came home. I saw a large part of Tehran shut down; A fault must have been found in the power transmission lines.