Mr. [Abbas] Maleki, [from the Office of the Supreme Leader’s Adviser on International Affairs], came to see me. He criticized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its narrow-mindedness and for straining relations with other countries.
Mr. [Abbas] Maleki, [from the Office of the Supreme Leader’s Adviser on International Affairs], came to see me. He criticized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its narrow-mindedness and for straining relations with other countries. He said that the clearer the government’s record became, the more the public recognized the value of your administration’s achievements.
Members of the Center for Research on the Life of the Ahl al-Bayt came to see me. They said they had reached an agreement with the Ministry of Education to prepare simple and engaging accounts of episodes from the lives of the Imams to help educate schoolchildren. However, after a period of work and research, the ministry had canceled the agreement. They asked me to help bring the initiative to fruition.
In the afternoon, Dr. [Hassan] Rouhani, [Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council], came. We discussed foreign policy, our relations with Saudi Arabia, the upcoming parliamentary elections, the proposed establishment of the Independence Party [E'tedal va Towse'eh, or Moderation and Development], the activation of the Strategic Research Center [of the Expediency Discernment Council], the impeachment proceedings against Mr. [Ataollah] Mohajerani, [Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance], and the situation at the universities.
Among the news reports, particular attention was given to criticism by [Martin Indyk, Director-General for Middle East Affairs at] the U.S. Department of State, of Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami’s meeting in Syria with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian militant groups. Indyk also described Iran as a state that supported terrorism.
The Israeli elections taking place today were another major development. In view of the withdrawal of [Azmi] Bishara, [leader of the Balad Party], and [Yitzhak] Mordechai, [Israel’s defense minister], from the race, the circumstances appeared to favor [Ehud] Barak, [leader of the Labor Party]. Russian Jewish immigrants were also showing a preference for moderation and expressing feelings of discrimination. These factors made a Labor Party victory seem increasingly likely.
Faezeh consulted me about whether she should accept an invitation to deliver a speech at an academic conference in Mashhad.
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