Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – May 16, 1981

Early in the morning, the wife and daughter of the late Ghafouri Rafsanjani came. They were terrified and seeking help because opium had been seized from their child and their house in Rafsanjan, and one [of them] had been arrested. In Rafsanjan, such people are numerous, and this action has a good effect on others quitting opium. Before the Revolution, many families were afflicted with opium.

At eight-thirty, I went to the Imam's home. I went with Messrs. Khamenei, Jannati, and Nateq-Nouri to visit the Imam; many issues were raised. I obtained a private appointment for a meeting of parliamentarians so that the Imam, in private, could express his views regarding the members of parliament. Discussions were held about the liberals' uproar over the budget and oil exports, which the Imam also did not consider useful, and it was agreed that he would advise them.

Discussions were held about the war. The Imam did not permit attacking Iraqi residential cities. It is a difficult situation where Iraq bombards our cities and creates war refugees, yet itself faces no refugee problem. Our main problem is the refugees.

Discussions were held regarding the necessity of Mr. Bani-Sadr declaring his stance against belligerent (mohareb) mini-groups (guruhak-ha). The Imam said he must do so, but he is not willing, and if we apply pressure, tension might arise. The surprise is that the President's cultural advisor, Haj Hamzeh, is a member of the Mojahedin.

At noon, Mr. [Hassan] Sane'i called, saying that the Imam had stated that Mr. Bani-Sadr, in his meeting, had agreed to quiet down the budget controversy provided that you also shelve the bill on removing "Imperial Decree" (Farman-e Homayouni). I said the deal is to Bani-Sadr's advantage, and for us, there is no legal avenue under Parliament's Bylaws. If necessary, I will see the Imam myself.

For Bani-Sadr, the issue of the Central Bank is vital, as it is for the government. The possibility exists that the Imam might intervene to quell the tension. I also informed Mr. Rajai. I gave Mr. Bani-Sadr my response regarding his request for the closed session's statements; it will also appear in the newspapers.

In the afternoon, I had meetings with the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, teachers from District 13, Kheirandish—representative of the Islamic Association of Kerman Steel Mill (Zob-Ahan)—a number of Sudanese students, and Malekpour.

The Sudanese spoke about the Islamic movement in Sudan, Kheirandish spoke about the weakness of Engineer Salour, managing director of the steel mill, the UAE ambassador spoke of their affection for the Revolution, and the educators spoke about intellectual deviation in the district official.