Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – September 28, 1983

I went to the Majlis. At eight in the morning, Mr. [Ghasemali] Zahirnejad, Chief of the Joint Staff [of the Islamic Republic Army], came and complained about discrimination in the Cabinet resolution concerning the distribution of aid vouchers to army personnel and government employees, and wanted the Army’s membership in “CISM” to be approved, which had been rejected by the Majlis. Mr. [Asadollah] Bayat, who had returned from Mecca, came and spoke about the situation of the Hajj and the Hajj Mission, and the differences between the headquarters and the mission. A group of front-line combatants came; I spoke to them and obtained an appointment for them with the Imam’s office. Mr. [Seyyed Mahmoud] Doaei and one of the graduates of the [Center for the Development of] Exceptional Talents, accompanied by the person in charge of their school, came and gave an account of the school’s situation. They wanted help in bringing his invention to fruition. I referred them to the Foundation of the Oppressed. I gave an interview to Kermanshah Television about Martyr Ayatollah Ashrafi [Esfahani], the Martyr of the Mihrab. Our new ambassadors to Germany and the Netherlands came and consulted with me, and we had discussions about their responsibilities and the requirements of their places of service.

Twenty professors from medical schools came. They wanted the respect and status of professors to be restored, professors to be recruited for the academic boards, and Dr. [Abbas] Sheibani to remain in charge of the University of Tehran. Mr. [Seyyed Reza] Zovarei came. He complained about Mr. Katirai’s [the Majlis Presiding Board’s procurement officer] strictness regarding the budget of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The family of Martyr [Abdolkarim] Hashemi-Nejad and the families of the martyrs of the C-130 plane crash came. I spoke to them and consoled them. Mr. Mohammad [Mojtahed] Shabestari came. He consulted about the upcoming Majlis elections, his own participation in the elections, and his future occupation, and expressed his loyalty to the homeland. In the afternoon, I attended to the office’s affairs. At night, we had a [meeting of the] Supreme Defense Council. The important discussion was about the inspection of ships and the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, the seizure of Iraqi ships, and strengthening defense capabilities. I also gave an interview to IRIB. Late at night, I came home.