Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – May 25, 1988

Until eight o'clock in the morning, I studied the plan of the Ministry of Planning and Budget regarding the armed forces system. I went to the parliament. I read the reports until nine o'clock in the morning. Mr. Mohsen Rezaei informed that the enemy has started an attack in Shalamcheh and Shah Shemiran. It was rejected in Shamiran's horn, but we are involved in Shalemcheh.

From that moment until two in the afternoon, they regularly reported the situation on the front. Little by little, the reports showed that the enemy had broken the lines and was advancing, and finally in the afternoon they informed that we had retreated from the entire operational area of ​​Karbala 5. It was difficult to accept that so many retreated in a few hours. Maybe they made the right decision to be able to defend better behind the line and not to waste the forces in an unwise resistance, but it is difficult to accept such a story from the forces that have always been victorious and could handle the enemy even in weak trenches. The difference is that in the past, our forces were usually attackers, and this time they are defenders and do not have the spirit of defenders, and their usual and experienced tactics are more aggressive, and the line is not set for defense, but for continued progress.

Several failed representatives came. Mr. Latif Safari, Seyed Hossein Mohammadi Azar and Murad Ali Ahmadi from Sanghar were consulting for their future work. Mr. [Naser Hirani] Nobari, our ambassador to the Soviet Union, came. He mentioned the many problems of the Russians: withdrawal from Afghanistan, internal disputes, conflicts in Azerbaijan, and discussed how we should exploit this situation and create an equation between the Russians' need for us in Afghanistan and us for them in the war with Iraq.

I canceled the afternoon and evening meetings. They came from the law office to arrange the opening program of the third term. Mr. Mohsen Rezaei and Rahim Safavi, who were in Tehran, took a plane to the south at four in the afternoon. The president and army commanders were in Bandar Abbas. We discussed the situation of the front with the Prime Minister and Ahmed Agha several times over the phone. [Mr. Bijan Namdar Zanganeh] Minister of Jihad Sazendagi came and gave his information about the situation of the front. We decided to go to Khuzestan by car.

Efat, Yasser and Mehdi came to the assembly and brought my suitcase. I gave up at the last moment and it was decided that we would go by plane tomorrow morning. We arrived home at ten o'clock at night. I slept exhausted.