Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – June 15, 2003

In the morning, we went to Mehrabad Airport to travel to Isfahan; we took an Iran-140 plane, which is manufactured through a cooperation between Iran and Ukraine. The purpose was to declare that the plane is safe, to encourage the manufacturers, and to attract cooperation from users. During the flight, Mr. [Ali] Shamkhani, [the Minister of Defense], Mr. [Hossein] Alaei, [the head of the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (HESA)], the pilots, and HESA officials explained the advantages of the plane. We landed at HESA's private airport. On the plane's stairs, I gave an interview to the journalists. Officials were there to welcome us. I had also given interviews on the plane and in Tehran.

We went to the HESA building. They gave an introductory report about their products. We visited the production halls, the design and engineering section, and the administrative offices. The site has 250,000 square meters of building space. Currently, two helicopters and two military aircraft are under construction or being optimized. Most of their work is focused on the Iran-140 aircraft. Five planes are currently being assembled. We toured the various stages of production and then the exhibition of airplanes, helicopters, and drones. We went to the mosque to speak to the employees. It was a very enthusiastic gathering. Mr. Shamkhani gave a welcome speech. I delivered a speech, and then we held congregational prayers.

In the evening, we went to Malek Ashtar University (the Al-Sabehat Underwater Research Center) to visit a 100-ton submarine under construction, which is nearly finished. We heard explanations about its features and about smaller submarines, and we saw examples of flying boats, which were interesting.

To meet with clerics and seminary students, we went to Hakim Mosque in the bazaar district. A large crowd had gathered with warm emotions. Ayatollah [Yusuf] Tabatabaei-Nejad, the Friday Prayer Leader of Isfahan, gave a welcome speech and complained about the limited facilities for religious seminaries and their students. I gave an extensive speech about the role of the clergy in history and today.

We met with Ayatollah [Hossein] Mazaheri, [Seyyed Jalal al-Din] Faqih Imani, [Mohammad Hassan] Rahimian, and others. Then we went to the provincial governor's guesthouse. The Friday Prayer Leader also came. We discussed the situation of the city and the large mosque (Mosalla) under construction. I attended the provincial administrative council meeting at the governor's office. The directors and representatives made statements and asked questions. I also provided explanations.

After dinner at the guesthouse, I read the reports. Student movements (protesting the privatization of universities) continue sporadically.