Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – July 13, 1988

After the morning prayer, I studied until eight in the morning and listened to foreign and domestic news. There is little negative propaganda from the West about the state of the front; They probably don't want to. I sent some Guardsmen to visit the wounded soldiers in Zubaydat yesterday. There are many superficial chemical injuries, but few serious injuries. Most of them have been released. Reporters are supposed to come today. I spoke to Mr. Khamenei on the phone to delay his trip to the front until the meeting of experts is held and I return to Tehran and tell the situation as it is and talk to the imam and then he goes to the front.

We had a meeting with the army commanders. Regarding the overall defense plan from Khuzestan, which was proposed by the general staff and approved by the general staff, we decided to give an order to execute it. Then we talked about the future of the IRGC. The desire of the audience is that the special force of the Revolutionary Guards should remain at around one hundred and fifty battalions, and the additional troops with ranks equivalent to the military ranks should go to the army, and the ranks of the special forces, with other names but equivalent to the ranks of the military forces, should be set. It was agreed that they should write their proposal and give it to us to be signed by the heads of the IRGC.

It was also reported from Feke region that due to the pressure of the enemy, the balance of the 77th division has been lost and it is not under the control of the commanders, and they have asked the Corps for help. According to Mr. Abedini's words, the Prime Minister informed that the army's forces, which have been deployed in the new defense line of Ain Khosh, have dispersed again when faced with the enemy's bombardment. It is not common to put disconnected power back on line, but power shortages dictate it.

In the evening, the governors of Khuzestan and Khorasan came. They strongly criticized the situation of the command during the defeat of Zubaydat, that the commanders did not play a proper role. Brigadier General Jamali came to replace the commander of the Nazaja [Army Ground Forces] and gave a report on the enemy's operations and the destruction of the internal forces. The enemy has broken the front line with chemical pressure and they claim that the forces in the front have resisted well.