Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – March 15, 1985

After the [morning] prayer, I called the front. Mr. Rouhani said, the bridge between Majnoon Island and East Tigris is connected, which is important. Last night, we did not have anything important to do except destroying the enemy's forces. The condition of the people who escaped from the Najaf camp is not known. Mr. Sayad is hopeful about the future and said that by connecting the bridge, they have fully utilized the facilities.

I spoke with the president. It was agreed [in Friday prayer sermons] that they should relate the issue of cities, ships, rockets, and the use of chemical weapons by Iraqis, and speak from the position of power in Friday prayers.

As a result of threats and rumors, it was expected that Iraq would drop a bomb in Tehran last night; We had turned off the [lighting] of the city and were on standby. But there was no news. Before noon, Ahmad Agha came. There was a discussion about the war and hitting another missile to Baghdad. We contacted the front. Iraq has used chemical bombs, which they consider a sign of Iraq's desperation. They had no major concerns.

Friday prayer was led by Ayatollah Khamenei. During the second sermon, a huge explosion occurred among the praying people, in which 13 people were martyred and around 100 people were injured. The sermon was interrupted for a while, and then Ayatollah Khamenei continued the sermon and coincidentally, at the same moment, Tehran's anti-aircraft guns started firing. An interesting sight appeared.

While the people imagined that the explosion was caused by the bombs [launched from] the plane, they bravely stood up and chanted, and the rest of the sermon and prayer was held with the roar of anti-aircraft guns. [This flow] is a historical incident and [the subject of a] historical film [can be].

Usually, after every Iraqi operation and defeat, the internal counter-revolution, which acts as the fifth column of the enemy, commits such crimes. Committing the crime of explosion in the procession of Friday prayers is a sign of the height of the enemy's anger and helplessness, and the insignificance of the counter-revolution. Just like the wicked use of chemical weapons on the fronts.

At night, we have an operation and they are going to cross the Tigris [river]. It was decided that the missile unit of the IRGC will issue an order to fire another missile at the military areas of Baghdad. Iraq has also threatened to hit the cities of Isfahan, Shiraz, Hamadan and Tabriz with missiles.

Mr. Nasser Kamrei came and complained about his brother who wanted to take back the house of the contract that he had sold to him.

I wrote a will based on Hajiya Waldeh's request; He bequeathed one third of his wealth to charity and the rest was given to our sisters for life. All in all, nothing is important; There is a pistachio garden in about two acres.

At night, due to the possibility of an [Iraqi] airplane attack, Tehran's [lights] were turned off for a while and the anti-aircraft guns worked.