Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani – April 1, 2003

War in Iraq is similar to previous days. Iraq says it killed 64 invading soldiers yesterday and destroyed 20 tanks and armored vehicles. Baghdad was attacked with cluster bombs. The invaders claim killings and captures and say they are holding 3,000 Iraqi prisoners in a camp in southern Iraq. Iraq fired missiles at northern Kuwait, and an area of British forces was mistakenly bombed by an American aircraft. Clashes continued in Najaf, Basra, Nasiriyah, and Kut.

The World Health Organization says the danger of contaminated water in Iraq is greater than the danger of bullets. Iraq says it has surrounded American paratroopers dropped in western Iraq and has broadcast footage of a meeting attended by Saddam and his sons with army commanders, in order to counter rumors.

George H. W. Bush criticized his son’s war policy and called for an end to the war. Johannes Rau said that George W. Bush was misusing the Gospel and presenting war as a divine duty, while such ideas cannot be derived from the Bible.

A U.S. aircraft crashed while landing on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, and a Saudi fighter jet caught fire at a base. U.S. forces in the outskirts of Najaf attacked a van carrying nine members of a family, killing seven and injuring two, and were strongly criticized by the public and international media. Jack Straw strongly criticized the course of the war. Australia announced that its mission in the war had ended.

Western media revealed that the post-war Iraq administration plan has been finalized under the command of retired General Jay Garner, described as a known Zionist, with three regions (Basra, Baghdad, and Mosul) and 22 ministers from military elements. Most Americans opposed to the war believe U.S. predictions were overly optimistic and that future difficulties will be severe. The Mojahedin [Organization] announced it would cooperate with the Iraqi army in defending Iraq. The United States said it would import water from Kuwait for the people of Umm Qasr.

George W. Bush said in a speech in Philadelphia that he would bring water, bread, medicine, and freedom to the Iraqi people, and this was mocked by media and political circles. In Turkey, people attack Americans or vehicles carrying American equipment, leading to clashes with police. Today, Colin Powell is scheduled to travel to Ankara to resolve issues between the U.S. and Turkey. The inability to open a front against Iraq from Turkish territory, originally planned with 62,000 troops, has created a serious problem for the war. The tensions between Powell and Donald Rumsfeld toward Iran and Syria are widely reflected in global media.

A fuel truck belonging to the Ministry of Energy crashed into the British Embassy gate on Ferdowsi Street last night at 10 p.m. and caught fire, killing the driver. Some media described it as a protest act against Britain, especially since trees at the embassy had been damaged in Friday protests.

The dismissal of U.S. commander Tommy Franks is widely discussed, and Western media consider the Pentagon’s military plan a failure. Rumsfeld responded to criticism about insufficient war resources, claiming he approved everything requested by generals.

Journalists in Qatar strongly protested against military censorship. Malaysia announced it would send 30 journalists to the region to compensate for Western censorship. The mayor of a city in Lebanon announced tax exemptions for shops refusing to sell American goods.

The CIA announced it has abandoned its plan to recruit Iraqi soldiers, as no one has been recruited in three months. Even Hosni Mubarak said that post-war dangers in Iraq are greater than the dangers of the war itself. Israel violated Lebanese airspace and broke the sound barrier over Beirut.

In Bolivia, 700 people have gone missing due to a landslide. A mysterious disease called SARS, similar to influenza and first appearing in Hong Kong two months earlier, has emerged in many countries and is causing casualties.

Anti-American protests have truly become a global movement, making the United States highly unpopular and isolated. The Kurdish Shiite Feyli Islamic movement held a conference in Ilam and raised important issues. A Shiite cleric named Asadollah Feili, an Iraqi migrant in Ilam, said that Feyli Kurds number three million in Iraq and play a major role in Iraqi services, including the army, and that 55% of the Badr Corps is composed of them. They are oppressed and should gain their share in governance in the new situation. In the bombing of Hilla (capital of Babil province), about 40 people were killed and hundreds were injured.

Today we went with Effat, Fati, and the children to Latian Dam. The entire area was covered in snow, and in most parts of the country it was snowing and raining.