Memories of Akbar Hashemi - June 5, 2002

In the yard of Mr. Khatami's house, I asked about the reason for not converting excess currencies into gold, to which they did not have a correct answer. A few months ago, I had suggested, based on a specialist's advice, to the leadership and Dr. Nourbakhsh that usually, in crisis situations and in the face of war threats, gold prices increase. It would be good to convert a part of our billions of dollars that are in foreign banks, earning little interest, into gold and bring it back into the country, which would protect us from the threat of being blocked and would also yield more profit. They asked me to go with them to discuss problems and solutions with the leadership. I said that the solution to economic problems is to create a productive atmosphere in the country and to give management the personality, courage, and efficiency it needs, while assuring the private sector that they will not be targeted; just as it was done during the reconstruction period. We should put a stop to political discussions and disputes, and in order to solve the issue of foreign policy, ultimately we need to resolve our issues with America.

Complete text of the daily report:

I was at home. Mr. [Mohammad] Khatami, the president, came. We discussed for about two hours in the yard of my house. I asked him about the reason for not converting excess currencies into gold, to which he didn't have a proper answer. A few months ago, I had suggested to the leadership and Dr. [Mohsen] Norbakhsh, [the governor of the Central Bank], that usually in crisis situations and when there is a threat of war, gold becomes expensive. It would be good to convert part of our billions of dollars that we have in foreign banks, which yield little interest, into gold and bring it into the country, to protect it from the danger of being blocked and also to earn more profit. That day, the price of gold was $270 per ounce, and today it has reached $340, with a possibility of becoming even more expensive. It was decided to follow up on this matter. The leadership had also mentioned it to him.

They expressed their dissatisfaction with the actions being taken in Qom Seminary against the parliamentarians and the government; including the scholars' fatwa against Iran's joining the Women's Rights Convention - for which the government has submitted a bill to the parliament - as well as the students' protest against the Ministry of Culture for the publication of books about music.

He is dissatisfied with Mr. [Seyyed Mahmoud] Hashemi Shahroudi and the judiciary due to the pressure it exerts on his supporters, and he expressed concern about the leadership's positions, which are problematic in foreign policy and also in economic matters. Managers are fearful and wait for the president's approval on minor issues, which raises concerns about the pretexts of inspection and judicial bodies, as well as the country's economic situation and the serious diversion of the youth.

He explained the reason for Mr. [Kamāl] Kharrazi's resignation, [the Minister of Foreign Affairs], stating that he had handed him a written resignation; due to the lack of support from him in the face of pressure from the parliament, and he did not accept it, saying that if he insists on resigning, he should officially submit it through the office, which he has not done. He said it is unlikely that we will be able to fulfill the promises we made regarding creating one million jobs a year. He asked me to go with him to discuss the problems and solutions with the leadership. I said that the solution to economic problems is to create a constructive environment in the country, provide managers with personality, courage, and efficiency, and reassure the private sector that they will not be subject to attack; just as was done during the period of construction, and stop political discussions and disputes, and finally to solve the foreign policy problem, we must resolve our issues with America.

He was still unaware of the new action by the American credit institution against Iran. The [rating] agency Moody's, three days ago, withdrew a good evaluation it had previously made regarding Iran's credit rating under pressure from the U.S. government; simultaneously with the announcement from the central bank about the decision to sell security bonds in the European market, in collaboration with two European banks. I mentioned the issues with the emergency job creation plan; he accepted it. It was decided that he would follow up.

The summit of the leaders of SICA [= Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia] in Kazakhstan - formed for the security of Asia - was unable to reach a conclusion for resolving the issue between India and Pakistan. India did not accept [Vladimir] Putin's invitation to host the leaders of the two countries in Russia, and tensions and conflicts continue. In Israel, with a martyrdom operation by a militant, a car carrying a bomb targeted a bus carrying Israeli soldiers in Haifa, resulting in 18 Israelis killed and 50 injured, and Israel has intensified its pressures.