Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani – April 7, 2003

America falsely announced that its forces entered Baghdad and captured one of Saddam's palaces and the Ministry of Information.  Iraq immediately denied.  Another official from America accepted that the news is false and also said that one of their planes landed at Baghdad airport to prove it.  In Basra, the pressure of the attackers has increased.

Mr. Alireza Mahjub, [Secretary General of Khanehkargar] came.  He said that he is not unhappy with the failure of the participations in the council elections, although Khangargar and their party and their coalition have not achieved anything, and explaining the state of the parliament regarding the issue of the two recent bills and the danger of America, he said, the common sense of the people and the people expect you to untie the knots.  He appreciated the Friday sermon in which I analyzed the situation in America and gave soothing remarks.  He considers the actual statistics of unemployment to be more than the government's announced statistics. 

Mr. [Hassan] Vaezi came from the secretariat of the [Expediency Council] and asked for the agenda of the meeting and regarding the non-notification of the clause related to the budget of the Guardian Council by the parliament and the announcement of its payment from the presidential resources.

Mr. [Hossein] Ghasemi, the CEO of [Free Zone Organization] of Kish came. He gave a report on the situation on the island and requested that I go to Kish on another occasion to make up for the cancellation of the Nowruz trip.  In the evening Mr. [Reza] Amrollahi, [Acting Minister of Energy] came and expressed his concern about the possibility of American interference and offered suggestions. 

Mahdi has returned from Mecca and says that the people of Saudi Arabia have opposed America and support Iraq.  The conflicting news of the attackers and Iraq and the media about the situation of the fronts has caused confusion.  [International Organization] The Red Cross, regarding the medical, food and treatment situation of the Iraqi people, threatened to announce that with Iraq's medical capacity and facilities, it is no longer possible to accept the wounded and new patients. 

The seminary of Qom was closed today in protest against the invasion of Iraq and they had demonstrations.  In Tehran, a group of students went to protest in front of the British Embassy.  Based on the same claim of the presence of American forces in the center of Baghdad, serious discussions have started about the future of Iraq and the status of the forces. 

[George] Bush, [President of the United States] has gone to Ireland and is having a meeting with [Tony] Blair, [Prime Minister of England].  The ministers of foreign affairs of the Persian Gulf Coordination Council have gathered in Kuwait for this discussion.

Sars virus continues to take victims in the world.