Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – June 12, 1989

After the prayer, we rested for a while and had breakfast with Efat and my sister Siddiqa. I went to the public meeting. Before the order, I spoke about the death of the Imam and the election of Ayatollah Khamenei. We had board elections. I was elected president with 231 votes out of 241 votes of the audience. Under the influence of current issues, controversial issues in the parliament are weak. I stayed in the meeting until half past ten in the morning.

The two groups of representatives had written two separate letters of endorsement for the leadership and it was disputed. By summoning their heads, an agreement was reached that I would prepare a text acceptable to both parties for all of them to sign. I prepared it and gave it for signature.

Mr. [Mohammed Jaafar] Saidian Far [Khomeini's representative in Isfahan city] came and expressed his concern for the future of Ayatollah Montazeri and said that a kind of readiness for cooperation and coordination has emerged in him and he asked my opinion and the system's policy about him. I said that my opinion is that they approve the leadership of Ayatollah Khamenei and we mutually help so that his situation gradually becomes normal and his authority in the future is not harmed. Mr. [Syed Hossein] Mousavi Tabrizi also came and sought a solution to compensate Ayatollah Montazeri's problem; I told them the same solution.

I told [Mr. Majid Ghasemi] the head of the central bank to intervene more in the market in order to lower foreign exchange rates. He said that the dollar has decreased and reached one hundred and twenty-five tomans.

In the evening, Mr. [Mohsen] Rafiq Dost came to take over the place of the former parliament in Baharestan for the leadership headquarters. I told them to check, if they find it completely suitable, it will be delivered. We consulted with the leadership about amending the constitution and the text of his telegram to Ayatollah Golpayegani and Ayatollah Golpayegani's telegram.

I worked in my office until seven o'clock. We came home. We had dinner with Efat, Siddiqa, Fati and Sara. They came from Imam's house.

Dr. Velayati informed that the Soviets are not willing to go to the Muslim-populated areas of the Soviet Union and refuse to perform ceremonies at a high level. I said that we should also shorten the trip and not go to Ukraine and Leningrad and let it be only a business trip. It was decided to continue the negotiations.